(By Tom Lohnes) – Rolls Royce has turned itself from an old, aging luxury brand to the pinnacle of automotive of automotive luxury in just one launch, that being the one of the eighth-generation Phantom. With the new Phantom and newer Cullinan SUV, the remaining Rolls Royce models: The Ghost, Dawn, and Wraith, have been getting a little older each day. But, for 2021, the Ghost leaves the Wraith and Dawn and gets another generation.

The folks at BMW, sorry, Rolls Royce, have been hard at work to make this new Ghost awesome, and they have at the cost of botching some of the styling. Making the front end a little more bloated, the Ghost manages to stuff the Phantom’s massive 6.8-liter Twin Turbo V12 into the ghost, and it now produces 653 horsepower, making it the most powerful car from the BMW corporation at the moment. Power is directed to the rear wheels through an all-new ZF 10-speed automatic that promises quick, silent shifts that only Rolls Royce can deliver. Speaking of silent, they stuffed 30% more sound deadening into the Ghost, making it the quietest car in the world. Tipping the scales at 5,543 pounds, the new Ghost isn’t a lightweight. But, with all that power, this thing hits 60 in 4.8 seconds. Pretty good for a boat

This car is in no form cheap. Starting at $221,000, it Is half the price of a Phantom. ½ the price for ¾ the car? Sounds like a deal to me.