New Rolls-Royce Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary Collection

Rolls Royce is taking a new limited edition model – the Rolls-Royce Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary – to the 2013 the Shanghai Motor Show.

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We all know that ‘Special Edition’ cars help car maker shift metal, and even at the top end it works – especially in China.

All of which explains why Rolls Royce are delivering a new limited edition Ghost for China at the Shanghai Motor Show this weekend – the Rolls Royce Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary Collection – which takes inspiration for its titivation from the Silver Ghosts that took part in the Austrian Alpine Trials in 1913.

The Alpine Trial event in 1913 – just before the world changed forever – saw four Rolls Royce Silver ghosts drive for 1820 miles through almost impossible mountain terrain and establish Rolls Royce as the makers of the ‘Best car in the world’.

It’s as good an inspiration as you’ll get for a limited edition model, and RR have taken many of the cues from the original Silver Ghost and translated them in to 21st century design language to create the Ghost Alpine Edition.

The Ghost Alpine gets a blue paint job that emulates that of the Silver Ghost run by James Radley in the Alpine Trials in 1913 – and which will participate in this year’s centenary re-enactment of the Alpine Trial – and also gets black wheels and a black painted grill – the first time Rolls Royce has painted their trademark grill in modern times.

Inside, the Ghost Alpine pays tribute to the Alpine Trials with a clock that displays the stages of the rally and timings, and inlays in the veneers on the dash and picnic tables show the distances and topography of the Alpine route.

Rolls Royce boss, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, said:

The 1913 Alpine Trial was an extraordinary moment in the rich history of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The standards of engineering and pioneer spirit required to achieve such feats stands as inspiration to everyone associated with the marque. The Bespoke Alpine Trial Centenary Collection is a fitting tribute to these achievements. It is testament to the enduring quality of a Rolls-Royce motor car that this 2013 car will be joined by a participant in the original trials, the 1913 Radley Silver Ghost.

Rolls Royce hasn’t said how many Ghost Alpine models they’re building (it probably depends on demand) and nor have they given us a price (it won’t be cheap).

But we will get to see the Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary car at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show, which starts this weekend.