Black is the original anti-colour and has come to represent the rebellious (albeit well-dressed) members of society who don’t abide by the rules. In fact, black has come to be quite the cultural obsession among designers and creatives; whether it’s masterminding the purest, blackest form of black (such as Anish Kapoor’s patented Vantablack technology) or using it in subversive ways. One such example is The Redemption of Vanity installation, which went on display at the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in 2019. The work was a collaboration between artist Diemut Strebe and Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Redemption of Vanity consisted of a 16.78-carat natural yellow diamond (worth around $2 million) coated in an ultra-black material, so that it was almost invisible to the naked eye and served as a meditation on value and worth. Black is a beautiful contradiction: it is the absence of colour, yet wholly desirable. It is nothing, it is luxury, it is elegant, it is non-conformist. It is all of the above and so much more. 

Luxury marque Rolls-Royce has embraced the dark side with its Black Badge series, which launched in 2016. The company calls it the “alter-ego” of Rolls-Royce and over the years (following the launch of Black Badge Wraith in 2016, later the Cullinan and, more recently, Ghost) it has come to represent nearly a third of commissions. Black is the underlying language of the car, but customers needn’t go full noir and can commission the car’s exterior and interiors in any colour combination they desire through the company’s unparalleled bespoke service, which features a whopping 44,000 “ready-to-wear” colours. 

The infinity loop is the subtle symbol of all Black Badge models, which you’ll find in the illuminated fascia (dashboard) and hand-stitched into the seats. The imposing grille is also illuminated, and Black Badge Ghost is the first and only Rolls-Royce to feature all-black Carbon Alloy Composite wheels. But perhaps the most audacious update is the all-black Spirit of Ecstasy; an icon of the marque for over a century. 

The idea for Black Badge came from a trip undertaken by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös to the United States. While there, and completely by chance, he came across a Rolls-Royce Wraith which had been modified with black chrome and darkened wheels. After talking to the car’s owner, Torsten began to ponder whether there really was a market for this type of darker, edgier Rolls-Royce; one that reflected the younger customer and their successes in exciting new industries. Soon after, Black Badge was born. 

‘Rolls-Royce has always attracted a unique breed of outliers, visionaries and iconoclasts,’ explains Müller-Ötvös. ‘Black Badge represents a natural evolution for a brand that is defined by a culture of collaboration with its clients. Black Badge is not a sub-brand. It is an attitude that represents an authentic and confident response to the desires of a new group of clients who proudly practise bold self-expression.’

With prices for a basic (for want of a better word) model starting at around £250,000, Rolls-Royce may seem more regal than renegade. But the marque does have a history of attracting starry clients who think outside the box. John Lennon – the most outspoken and unruly of the Fab Four – famously had a bright yellow psychedelic Phantom (interestingly it was originally painted black with black upholstery), which included an in-car phone, TV and turntable. When the groovy paint job was unveiled, it caused a sensation, with Lennon recounting the tale of an elderly woman who shouted at him: ‘You swine! You swine! How dare you do that to a Rolls-Royce!’

Sammy Davis Jr, Sophia Loren and Karl Lagerfeld were also Rolls-Royce owners. Lagerfeld technically owned three, a Phantom, a Cullinan and a Phantom Drophead Coupe which were all in the designer’s trademark monochrome tones. Even the marque’s founders, C.S Rolls and Henry Royce could be seen as early disruptors in the way that we would view Richard Branson or Mark Zuckerberg today. Sir Henry Royce, who was from a humble, working-class background, rose to become one of the greatest engineers of his time, while the aristocratic C.S Rolls was a petrolhead daredevil who was the first person to fly round-trip from Dover to Sangatte and back in 1910.   

Rolls-Royce Black Badge certainly looks the part, but how does it drive? All Rolls-Royces employ the “magic carpet” driving experience, which ensures a smooth and lightweight drive despite the car’s impressive size and weight at around 2,490kg. The 6.75-litre V12 engine has been upgraded to deliver increased power (600PS) and torque (900NM), meaning it’s effortlessly speedy but an altogether elegant drive. The recent launch of the all-aluminium Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow was inspired by Thunderbolt’s land speed record in 1938, which attests to the marque’s ongoing search for perfection and power coupled with beauty. 

When it was released in 2021, Müller-Ötvös called Black Badge Ghost ‘our most advanced motor car yet’ and commented that it had been ‘reengineered to characterise the alter ego of Rolls-Royce: assertive, dynamic and potent.’

‘This bold family of motor cars has come to symbolise the pinnacle of a new type of super-luxury product, setting in motion a shift across the wider luxury industry,’ he continued. ‘Subsequently, nearly all luxury makers create products that seek to capture the Black Badge spirit.’ 

Discover more at rolls-roycemotorcars.com