JEDDAH: The long-awaited development of the Rolls Royce 200 EX concept car — the Ghost — was presented to the motoring press in Jeddah on Saturday. The car, an obvious scion of the distinctive Phantom family, firmly puts to rest the wilder speculation that this was to be a “baby Rolls.” It is not; it is a big sophisticated and beautifully crafted Rolls.

It is based around a steel monocoque with steel and aluminum body panels and weighs in at a substantial 2.4 tons. Luxury does not come light.

Air suspension, articulated by front double wishbones and a rear multilink axle, couples with electronics that compute load calculations every 2.5 milliseconds. Rolls says it can detect if a passenger moves from one side to the other and compensate accordingly.

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the Ghost is 400mm shorter than the Phantom but with comparable space inside. The modern Rolls design parameters are still there; the long bonnet, the perpendicular nose, the shrouding C-pillars to afford rear-seat passengers privacy. The famous rear hinged ‘coach’ doors, which open to 83 degrees and close automatically at the push of a button, have been retained.

The Jeddah car is one of three that is being used for the static-launch promotions. The car should be available in the Middle East in February at about SR1.2million — depending on options. Rolls wanted 1,500 definite orders before committing to production and have far exceeded that, according to Frank Tiemann corporate communications manager for the Middle East. Rolls sales have been rising steadily with world sales up 20 percent and Middle East sales up 50 percent in 2008. The Middle East alone accounts for 24 percent of the world market for Rolls.

Peter Paul Schoppman, regional director for Rolls Royce noted that options were a core feature of the Rolls marque. “In the region, 100 percent of the cars are bespoke,” he said, adding that this was the main driver for all Phantom sales and fully expected that to continue with the Ghost.

The Ghost was designed in response to a growing demand from a younger demographic. The evidence for that is a 600-watt stereo, a 13GB hard drive, head-up display and night vision and the Goodwood equivalent of iDrive. Rolls Royces are, said Tiemann, used as working cars. The Ghost is no exception as it is very much a driver’s car but has the internal space and luxury to double as a chauffeured vehicle.

Under the long hood lies BMW group’s latest 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12. It’s directly injected and produces 563bhp and 575lb ft. Somewhat coy about actual figures — Schoppman preferred to respond “adequate” when asked about acceleration.

“It’s not about figures,” he mused gently, “it’s about driving experience.”

The fact is that the Ghost turns in a very un-limousine like 4.8 seconds to 100kph and uses the eight-speed ZF auto, whose subtle engineering contains CO2 damage to 317g/km and 20.8mpg.

Agile, stylish and extremely luxurious at an entry-level price, the Ghost will surely appeal to a younger democratic who want all the quality associated with the marque and a fast, useable and very distinctive car.