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Rolls-Royce Honors A 1906 TT Victory With The New Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy

Rolls-Royce Honors A 1906 TT Victory With The New Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy

While Rolls-Royce isn’t known for motorsport, its 120-year-old triumph is the inspiration for a new bespoke commission.

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While Rolls-Royce is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated manufacturers in the entire automotive industry, motorsport isn’t typically discussed as one of the brand’s fortes. However, Rolls-Royce does have a racing feat to its name: a victory at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, achieved by The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls in 1906. Today, Rolls-Royce is celebrating the 120th anniversary of that achievement with a new bespoke commission of the Black Badge Ghost, called the Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy.

In 1906, Charles Rolls and his riding mechanic, Eric Platford, drove a Light 20 H.P. Rolls-Royce in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, which consisted of four laps of the Isle of Man course. The route was the Highroads course, shortened to 40.38 miles, and with four laps of racing, speed and precise driving had to be combined with strategic fuel use, endurance, and mechanical reliability.

Rolls started the race in fourth and was leading by the end of the first lap. For the final lap, Rolls was ten minutes ahead of the competition and finished the race in four hours and six minutes with an average speed of 39.4 mph. Just over a pint of fuel was left in the car at the end of the race, and the victory was a defining moment in the trajectory of Rolls-Royce as a manufacturer, resulting in the ultra-luxurious and prestigious brand we know today.

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Now, the new Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy has been commissioned to honor that car, and as such, it features a Dark Emerald exterior color, with a single Tan Coachline, and a hand-painted number 4 in Arctic White, a reference to the number of laps and Rolls’ starting position. The interior features black leather and Black Badge technical fiber, which is contrasted by tan leather accents and Moccasin lambswool carpeting. The outline of the Isle of Man Short Highroads Course can be seen on the rear waterfall, and other details include engravings of the registration number AX157, the chassis number 26350B, the date of the race, 27.09.1906, and the coordinates of the start/finish line, 54˚09’27.1” N 4°29’ 54.7” W.

Illuminated treadplates with the chassis number of the winning car complete the stunning bespoke commission. Created as a private archive, the new Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy is a stunning celebration of a historic motorsport victory for Rolls-Royce, showing the impressive diversity of excellence seen within the heritage of one of the world’s most desirable automotive luxury manufacturers.

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Image Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Tyler Rampersaud