A drive through Provence in the new Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II

Ah, Provence. The land of lavender fields, picturesque villages, delightful rose and… provocative art?

The Rolls-Royce Phantom we are chauffeured in crosses the threshold of Chateau La Coste, and we are gloriously greeted by geometrically-aligned grapevines that speak beautiful prose to the OCD-inclined.

As the stately vehicle snakes unhurriedly through the grand estate with the poise and equanimity of a French nobleman of decorous pedigree, a curious figure inevitably comes into view. It appears to be a giant male torso from afar; a cross-section of exposed human anatomy revealing heart, lungs and guts in flagrant glory, bizarrely and patently perverting the calm and quietude of the French countryside.

Could it really be Damien Hirst’s iconic sculpture, Temple (2008), standing two storeys tall on this lawn last fall?

Oddly enough, it was indeed.

The British artist’s mammoth magnum opus was part of the exhibition titled, Damien Hirst: The Light That Shines, in which 90 of his most celebrated artworks were to be found loitering among the rolling vineyards and wooded walking trails of the 500-acre estate over several months last year.

The Hirst “takeover” marked the first time a sole artist has had full run of the compound, and it’s where a host of famous works from the likes of Paul Matisse, Frank Gehry, Ai Weiwei, Jenny Holzer, Yoko Ono, Bob Dylan and more already call home.

Nestled in Le Puy-Sainte-Reparade, one of the country’s oldest winemaking regions near Aix-en-Provence, Chateau La Coste is the brainchild of Irish property magnate Paddy McKillen who envisioned the grounds of this sprawling estate and its five architectural pavilions as an prodigious canvas for contemporary art.

More than 40 installation works and sculptures, some larger-than-life, are peppered around the property on permanent exhibit as they reside alongside a luxury hotel and spa as well as several dining establishments, which include a cafe and restaurant designed by Tadao Ando himself and Michelin-starred Helene Darroze, on this dreamy estate.

It’s a destination so unique that Rolls-Royce just had to have its global media launch of the Ghost Series II here, according to Emma Begley, director of Global Communications.

A TOUCH OF WHIMSY

That same evening, we disembarked from another chauffeur-driven Phantom to arrive at the feet of ‘Charity’ – another of Hirst’s monumental sculptures in the form of a 22-foot young girl with a disability holding a teddy bear; a replica of those donation boxes for The Spastics Society, an ubiquitous sight you may remember holding court outside shopping malls and stores back in the day.

Quite creepy, really, to encounter this colossal girl in this idyllic landscape in the dark of night. But then again, it’s actually on-brand and in-theme when you consider Rolls-Royce’s penchant for naming its modern-day line-up of motor cars after paranormal phenomena. There’s Ghost, Phantom and most recently, the all-electric Spectre, with the Cullinan SUV perhaps being the only exception.

We proceeded to one of the pavilions for an intimate preview of the new Ghost Series II, which comes five years after its last rendition of the second-generation Ghost was introduced in 2020.

Much has changed in this half-decade, particularly in the realm of technology, and this latest iteration is touted as the most technologically advanced and driver-focused V12 Rolls-Royce to roll out of Goodwood.

Entertainment and connectivity functions have been significantly upgraded, and passengers in the rear can now connect to two streaming devices to the rear screens, stream content independently of each other, and even pair their own headphones via Bluetooth for the ultimate backseat experience replete with a champagne fridge.

The exterior nips and tucks aimed at modernising Ghost, meanwhile, include the new illuminated Pantheon grille and the updated vertical tail lamps design that are now more closely aligned with those on Spectre, discreetly inscribed with the double ‘R’ monogram.

And just as the expansive estate on which we stand offers a whimsical escape to all who visit, the new Ghost Series II has been meaningfully refined to “further enhance its standing as a potent canvas for creativity,” said Juliane Blasi, head of Exterior Design at Rolls-Royce.

“Whether quiet and restrained or bold and expressive,” the new Ghost Series II as well as the Ghost Extended Series II and more subversive Black Badge Ghost Series II now offer even more of a stage for bespoke colour and material choices, she added.

A CANVAS FOR CREATIVITY

When you think about it, it is quite extraordinary that a 121-year-old automotive company has managed to stay this relevant, for this long. For the centenarian to maintain its exalted position in contemporary consciousness is a masterclass in brand and product marketing.

Once the reserve of the prim and pompous, Rolls-Royce has, in recent years, reinvented itself with a brand of youthful vigour that has even attracted the attention and adoration of the Kardashian-Jenner clan. And we can’t help but also wonder if that footnote in pop culture phenomenon has anything to do with the average age of a new Rolls-Royce owner falling to 43 of late.

The secret to this remarkable feat, it seems, lies in how the company had once upon a time decided to dip its brush in whimsy, encouraging clients to embrace bright and fearless celebrations of colour while sprinkling their Rolls-Royce interiors with a dash of caprice.

And based on figures shared by the British marque, clients have embraced this to the tune of spending up to 10 per cent of the total purchase price of their Rolls-Royce on the fun, bespoke elements of their commissions, on average.

YOU HAD ME AT YELLOW

Of the fleet of Ghosts waiting for us outside our hotel, I found myself gravitating to – to my surprise – the one in a kind of canary yellow hue that my wardrobe has for a lifetime eschewed. But on this particular edition of Ghost, the colour evokes such a striking euphony against the autumnal Provençal landscape you could almost picture the vehicle in a framed Cezanne (had the 19th-century French painter been a time traveller, perhaps). The pantone in question is Semaphore Yellow, I’m told; one of 44,000 pret-a-porter hues you can clothe your Rolls in.

A new addition to the never-ending palette is Mustique Blue, a brand new colour developed for the launch of Ghost Series II. It bears a metallic sheen made from glass and mica flakes that shimmers under sunlight, evoking the glistening effect of the sun’s rays on the tropical sea surrounding the Caribbean island after which it is named.

It’s a decidedly safer option compared to my fancy fellow in yellow, but there’s just something about a Rolls-Royce in an outlandish shade of offbeat that titillates your inner rebel, giving you both street cred and rock star vibes in one fell swoop.

As I slid behind the wheel to begin our drive further south to Marseille, I discovered that you can now even choose the colour combos of the digital instrument dials when you’re speccing out your new Ghost, too.

Also new on this Ghost is the Spirit of Ecstasy Clock Cabinet, a mini sculptural installation of the iconic Rolls-Royce mascot spreading its wings beneath an analogue clock embedded in the dash, which debuted first on the Cullinan last year.

Beside her, the new illuminated fascia on the passenger side provides yet another customisable surface for owners to further express their individualism with unique motif designs, selected to match the precise cosmic patterns of their starlight headliner – the iconic Rolls-Royce signature twinkling above head – if they so wish.

The litany of bespoke options continues with the new Duality Twill upholstery, also first seen on the latest Cullinan. The base twill textile, made from a new rayon fabric developed from bamboo, is available in lilac, chocolate and black and features the ‘Duality’ graphic – an abstract interpretation of the interlinked initial ‘R’ of the marque’s founders' names – embroidered in a choice of up to 51 thread colours. It’s a highly complex and impossibly intricate process that Rolls-Royce says involves up to 2.2 million stitches and 11 miles of thread, and can take 20 hours to complete.

MAGIC CARPET RIDE TO MARSEILLE

Such exacting attention to detail of course extends to engineering, and Ghost Series II has been masterfully tuned like a beast restrained. You would never hear this 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 coming, and that’s the beauty and joy of driving a Rolls-Royce.

It’s almost absurd how easy it is to pilot this very large vehicle that in reality feels like a feather on 22-inch wheels. It’s irrationally agile, and no other motor car on the planet gives you the kind of ‘waftability’ Rolls-Royces are known for, made possible by its renowned Planar Suspension System that’s been designed with the singular goal of ensuring that rear seat passengers never lose a single drop of champagne (true story). Now if only the road to being able to afford one was as smooth and effortless.