Long, long ago, during the days of the British Raj in the 1920s, one of the first Rolls Royce cars, an imported flaming red Phantom, made its way into the country bought by the then richest Indian, Sahib Bahadur, popularly known as Umed Singh II, the Maharajah of Kota (erstwhile Kotah), Rajasthan.

The Rolls Royce Phantom, custom made for the maharaja’s hunting fantasies, was reportedly auctioned for around $1 million in the US during the middle of last year. While the new generation Rolls Royce cars demonstrate bespoke luxury, Maharaja Umed Singh’s Phantom ported the choicest hunting features, including a double-barrelled shotgun and a mountable ‘Lantaka’ cannon. It doesn’t take much to imagine an 8.0 litre six-cylinder Rolls Royce Phantom sprinting through jungles, gunning down tigers…

But, the hunting fantasies had to come to an abrupt end with the abolition of royalties in India. The good old days lay long forgotten in the pages of history. Skyscrapers replaced jungles and tigers, the favourite of the maharajas, have made it to the rare species list. At last count, 1,700 tigers survive in India, compared with over 100,000 in the 1920s.

So now the British luxury marquee Rolls Royce is expecting the celebrities and the wheelers and dealers of the Indian corporate world to carry forward the legend in India. They expect the Ghost to be the royal car of these self-made royalties.

The Ghost who glides

The Rolls Royce Ghost, a smaller entry-level Rolls Royce, for that matter, has replaced the Phantom as the British carmaker’s highest selling model in India. Not really a surprise considering the Ghost is the most technologically advanced Rolls Royce ever built. Actor Aamir Khan picked up a Ghost while Sanjay Dutt gifted one to his wife last year. The Ghost is available in two versions — the Ghost at Rs 2.7 crore and the Ghost extended wheelbase (EWB) at Rs 3.05 crore (ex-showroom, New Delhi). The Ghost EWB is about 17 cm longer than the original Ghost, providing that extra space in the back.

Of course, mere mortals are allowed to test-drive the Ghost on condition: On a stretch that treats the royal car with reverence. Like that of the Greater Noida expressway. I am not complaining. The 6.6 litre twin-turbo charged Ghost EWB that sports a V12 engine with 563 horsepower rocketed to 217 kmph within a matter of 13 seconds. I would have gone to the end of the world to experience that. If you dare, it could go on to touch 300 kmph, the claimed top speed. But unfortunately, you do have to go to the end of the world – or at least, out of India – to do that. Dogs and human beings who flit about the highway managed to put a tight rein on the foot on the accelerator.

The Ghost differentiates from the Phantom scoring as a driver’s car – easier to park, to turn and zip away. The inside of the Ghost EWB seems no less than a cockpit. Pull the chrome knobs shaped like a needle with a ball on top for grip to enable an air conditioning vent to function.

Hit the metal pedal to get that magic carpet ride feeling. You would hardly notice the four tyres that are propelling the car: You are engulfed by something magical that moves with the grace of a panther.

There’s a display projecting the speed of the car directly on the windscreen. So you can keep your eyes carefully planted on the road. And don’t even think of finding out from where exactly the information is being projected. With a throbbing engine ready to leap, you need all your attention to tame that beast.

The display also gives other warnings, including lane change and parking situation.

If, god forbid, your concentration drifts on a long drive, the Ghost’s steering vibrates, sending you the warning jolt, putting you back on track. The car has ‘active’ cruise control that enables the driver to create a pre-defined gap with the car in front. The car stops if the car in front stops and picks up again when the car in front starts moving. Given such a technology, bumper-to-bumper traffic can’t be all that bad, eh? Reverse parking camera could make parking in a crowded space a breeze.

There’s no way your sweat is going to stain the seats. The in-seat air conditioner takes care of that. There are dedicated in-seat AC buttons for each of the four seats on the front console. And you can’t hear anything except pin-drop silence, once you slide in and close the door. The car does its thing in silence.

And then there are other things that make a Rolls Royce a Rolls Royce. You can choose the colour of the front console, including material, which is handcrafted and finely stitched. A mix of aluminium metal and dashes of wood, you can blend it in your preferred style like a glass of whisky. The famous Malabar teak wood from Kerala is also an option that could be etched in the front console of your Rolls Royce Ghost.

The passenger space, of course, is made for maharajas: Slide in, make yourself comfortable and press a button; the door closes on its own. Tired? Slide further into the seat and press a button; the seat begins to massage your back.

There are two 9.2-inch LCD multimedia screens at the back for entertainment and floor mats, made of wool, caresses your toes.

The Rolls Royce Ghost changes its suspension characteristics while on the move to accommodate unpredicted terrain but its questionable how it accommodates the super-unpredictable patches on Indian roads that come to you at an alarmingly fast pace. Apparently, the computer system in the car makes decisions on adjusting the suspension by gauging load conditions through various sensors in the car in about 2.5 milliseconds. I think the responses of the car may easily take a millisecond extra to adjust given the unpredictability of Indian roads. The adaptable suspension also works inside the car if a kid jumps from one seat to another on a moving car so that the movement of the car is not affected at all.

At the end of the ride when you reach your destination, you slide out gracefully. If need be, your chauffeur, at a press of a button, could open up a black umbrella that pops out of the panel. Rolls Royce does think of everything.

Oh yes, a shame as it might be – for an engine packed with horsepower like in Rolls Royce begs to be driven – given the client credentials, Rolls Royce also trains chauffeurs. Apparently, some Rolls Royce owners keep PSO (personal security officers) as their drivers. These PSOs carry licensed guns for your protection and can also take the steering wheel as proper trained drivers. Cost of a RR chauffeur: Rs 45,000 a month.

(The test drive was hosted by Rolls Royce Motor Cars in Greater Noida)