Rolls-Royce has presented the Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man to mark 120 years since Charles Rolls won the 1906 Tourist Trophy. The contemporary commission takes its inspiration from the Light 20 H.P. Rolls-Royce driven
Rolls-Royce has presented the Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man to mark 120 years since Charles Rolls won the 1906 Tourist Trophy. The contemporary commission takes its inspiration from the Light 20 H.P. Rolls-Royce driven by Rolls and his riding mechanic Eric Platford.
The original race rewarded judgement as well as speed
The 1906 Tourist Trophy ran over four laps of the Isle of Man course and demanded a careful balance of pace, endurance and fuel use. Charles Rolls’ victory therefore reflected mechanical sympathy and strategic discipline rather than simply outright speed.
That history gives the new commission a richer foundation than a generic racing tribute. Rolls-Royce can refer to a specific achievement by its co-founder and to the conditions that shaped the result.
Black Badge provides the contemporary character
Rolls-Royce chose Black Badge Ghost as the modern canvas for the anniversary commission. The model’s darker visual identity and driver-focused character offer a natural link to Charles Rolls’ reputation for experimentation, competition and technical curiosity.
The result is not intended as a replica of the 1906 car. Instead, the Bespoke details translate historical references into a contemporary luxury saloon that can be used normally while carrying a deeper story.
Eric Platford also returns to the narrative
The original winning car was driven by Charles Rolls with Eric Platford as his riding mechanic. Platford later became closely associated with the company’s testing culture, making his role in the Tourist Trophy part of a wider engineering history.
That connection gives collectors more than one historical thread to follow. The commission touches racing, early reliability trials and the people who helped establish Rolls-Royce’s reputation before the modern luxury era.
Heritage works best when it remains usable
Collector brands often face a choice between preserving history and turning it into something contemporary. Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy shows another route, using a modern car to make an early story relevant without pretending the technology or driving experience belongs to the past.
For owners with historic and modern cars in the same collection, that approach can be especially appealing. The commission creates continuity between eras while remaining a usable twenty-first-century Rolls-Royce.
Official sources: www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com.