Rolls-Royce Ghost Stars At World's Most Expensive Picnic

Old Rolls models welcome the latest one at Goodwood.

Rolls-Royce is the kind of company that takes its clients very seriously. We call them clients - not customers - because ownership of one of these vehicles means entry into a new echelon of society; access to an exclusive club of connoisseurs. The British luxury automaker recently invited members of the oldest Rolls-Royce car club in the world to attend a private viewing of the brand-new Rolls-Royce Ghost just three days after the model was revealed globally. The group of enthusiasts forms part of the 20-Ghost Club which is devoted solely to RR models from before 1940. All of the cars brought along - 20 of them to be exact - were built before 1936.

Despite all cars being at least 83 years old, each one arrived at the Home of Rolls-Royce under its own power. Interestingly, almost 75 percent of all Rolls models ever produced since the brand was founded in 1904 are still in perfect working order. We wonder if this includes those models that have been converted to run on electric power, but it's an impressive statistic nonetheless. Eventually, all Rolls-Royce cars will be fully electric anyway. Presumably, the owners of these classic Rolls models are willing to embrace the future if they came to see a car very different from anything they arrived in.

Going back to the whole "RR ownership is a lifestyle" thing, the guests at this private event were treated to a picnic lunch with specially-prepared hampers that included champagne and Rolls-Royce honey that is produced by the colony of 250,000 English honeybees residing in the Goodwood Apiary. We shudder to think what a jar of that stuff costs. Another highlight of the day was the presence of a 100-year-old Silver Ghost built in September 1920. The car has a body built by HJ Mulliner with silver and black paint and has done over 17,000 miles since its owners bought it in 2011. Here's hoping the next special model lasts just as long.