They had to lobby brand owner BMW, which, after considerable resistance, finally backed down and allowed the Spirit Of Ecstasy to go dark, both literally and metaphorically. The three motor men then went off to dinner and brainstormed a new more assertive direction for product styling cars with noir-ish exterior colours contrasting with vivid interiors, firmer cornering and even more grunt (and growl). Introducing himself, Müller-Ötvös said to the driver, “I like it, but why have you done this?” The man – a plastic surgeon – told him he’d wanted a car that gave him an alter-ego. Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös and his chief designer and communications chief were emerging from Beverly Hills’ SLS Hotel one evening when a chap pulled up in a Phantom Drophead which had been independently pimped and “murdered out”. The amplified Black Badge shows the dark side of this new way.īlack Badge was first realised in 2016 and was inspired by a trip to Los Angeles. The company revealed a new vision of luxury last year with the “regular” or “silver” Ghost, almost minimalist in its design and craftsmanship, a movement Rolls coined as Post Opulence.