Rolls-Royce Ghost appears at Shanghai show

Shanghai, April 22 (Gasgoo.com) Reviving a century-old fabled nameplate, Rolls-Royce said the production version of its 200EX concept car will be christened the "Rolls-Royce Ghost". The Ghost has debuted at the ongoing 2009 Shanghai auto show, sina.com said today.

Also known by its earlier development code name, RR4, the new sedan is slated to go into production late this year at the company's Goodwood plant in England.

Now owned by BMW, Rolls-Royce introduced the original Ghost in 1906 and once built a version of the car in Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. The new model is expected to borrow heavily from the new BMW 7 Series.

The 2010 Ghost uses a stretched platform from the new BMW 760Li and features a new turbocharged 6.6-liter V12 producing around 500 horsepower and coupled with a ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox. The car's name and other details were announced in Shanghai by CEO Tom Purves.

On Day 1 of the Shanghai show, all the Rolls-Royce Phantom models on display were ordered on the spot, while the Ghost models were displayed there only for show, not for sale yet, titillating to rich Chinese buyers.

Slotted below the Phantom, the 2010 Ghost may be priced from around $250,000. A convertible variant is scheduled for 2011. BMW so far has done a stunning job of preserving this hallowed British brand.