By Alexander Stoklosa

Rolls-Royce is steeped in history—it has, after all, been around for more than 100 years—and now it is mining some of that heritage with a special-edition Ghost called the Alpine Trial Centenary Collection. The unique Ghost debuts at the 2013 Shanghai auto show and celebrates the 100th anniversary of Rolls-Royce’s success in the 1820-mile Austrian Alpine Trials with a Silver Ghost. It might seem like an obscure reference for a modern automaker to make, but the Silver Ghost’s trouble-free completion of the 1913 Alpine Trials—a brutal endurance race over “near-impassable mountain terrain”—earned Rolls-Royce the title of maker of the “best car in the world.” Seems to us like it’s as good a car as any to hark back to.

The 2013 Alpine Trial Centenary Collection Ghost is Rolls-Royce’s first heritage model drummed up by its Bespoke internal customization shop, and is pleasantly subtle in its execution. The Ghost gets a silver-over-blue paint job accentuated by black wheels and a black grille, which mimics the 1913 Silver Ghost Trial car’s livery and rolling stock, and we think both rides look pretty darn good. The modern Rolls also gets a delicate pinstripe that runs its entire length and features four slashes, each of which represent one of the four Rolls-Royces that competed in the 1913 endurance trial. Inside, the Ghost’s dashboard clock face displays the different stages of the Alpine Trial and timings, and the dashboard and fold-down rear-seat picnic tables gain decorative inlays showing the Trial’s topography and distances.

• Comparison Test: 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost vs. 2010 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed
• Instrumented Test: 2013 Bentley Continental GTC V8
• Photos and Info: 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith

Back in the early 20th century, arduous endurance races were the motorsport events that could make or break fledgling automakers; after all, if the cars could stand up to the abuse of being pummeled over unpaved roads—or no roads at all—they likely could handle anything potential customers could throw at them. Rolls-Royce built something that stood up to the task, and today it would seem it’s no less competent at crafting automobiles worthy of being considered “best in the world.” Of course, that measure today doesn’t require Rolls to send a car bouncing down a trail in some forgotten corner of the earth, but wouldn’t it be pretty cool if it did?

From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/84qzBQYjmoI/