Ever wondered why Rolls-Royce gives so many of its cars spooky names?
Published on Oct 17, 2025 at 10:13 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Oct 17, 2025 at 3:49 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
From the Ghost to the Spectre, the Wraith, and the Phantom, Rolls-Royce has a long history of naming its vehicles after otherworldly entities.
Carmakers spend a lot of time and money thinking up names for their new vehicles.
And in the case of Rolls-Royce, many of its most beloved cars have decidedly spooky names.
It all began back in 1907, and more than a century on, the tradition still stands.
DISCOVER SBX CARS – The global premium auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
It all started with the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Originally, Rolls-Royce cars were simply given chassis numbers, but between 1905 and 1913, commercial managing director Claude Johnson worked with clients to come up with unique names for around 50 or so vehicles.
The most famous of these was a 40/50 H.P. chassis that had been given the new name the Silver Ghost, as a nod to its silver paintwork and silver-plated brightwork.
The Silver Ghost debuted at the London Motor Show in 1907, where its unusual name and slick good looks soon caught the attention of both automotive journalists and members of the public.
As a result of all the attention, every 40/50 H.P. chassis that was built became officially known as a Silver Ghost.
Fast-forward a few years to 1910, and Rolls-Royce had built a new car – Chassis 1601.
However, Johnson decided to stick with the ghostly theme and renamed the vehicle The Silver Spectre – Spectre meaning a supernatural being like a ghost.
Decades on, the luxury carmaker has introduced several vehicles that each carry a supernatural name, including the Phantom (meaning something illusory, ghostly, or unreal) and the Wraith (meaning ghost or spirit).
And it seems as though the tradition isn’t going anywhere.
“Johnson would surely be gratified that these ethereal, otherworldly names, intended to capture the car’s near-silent running, still grace Rolls-Royce models, referencing this same quality more than a century later,” the company said.
Rolls-Royce took a turn with the Cullinan
While Rolls-Royce is known to favor a ghostly name, that isn’t always the case.
When it came to launching the Cullinan, it went down a different route.
The SUV is instead named after the Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered, which was a whopping 3,100 carats.
When the car was launched back in 2018, the carmaker hailed it as ‘perfect and brilliant’.
Former CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös saying, ‘just like the Cullinan Diamond, it emerges when it is perfect and exists above all others’.
And not a ghost in sight.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
