India's first Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Series II Black Badge worth ₹16 crore breaks cover; and the first to own this ultra-luxurious beast is...

Being India’s first to own the prestigious Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Series II Black Badge itself can be a moment of pride. But for its owner Kochi-based CEO of Litmus7 Venu Gopalakrishnan, that’s not something he wants to attach to his personality. “I knew I was going to be the first to get the Black Badge, but frankly, I am not really in that race where being the first to own something is also seen as an achievement,” he says. “I wanted this car and now I have it… for me that’s more important than being the first one to possess it…”

Black Badge is the top end model of Silver Ghost Series II and comes with some of the most fascinating features such as illuminated grill, 107,000 perforations measuring just 0.8 to 1.2 millimetres punctured into the leather seat leather, thus, creating an abstract artwork inspired by the shifting clouds over the home of Rolls Royce at Goodwood. Powered by a V12 engine, 22-inch wheels with seven spoke geometry displaying bright coloured disk brakes, a refrigerator between the reclining back seats et al add up to what’s termed as the “ultimate in luxury.”

Add to these some of the customisations the customer can add in order to make this car unique for the individual. Gopalakrishnan booked a Silver Ghost in March 2024 expecting the car to be delivered on his birthday month of August. However, in the meantime Rolls Royce introduced its latest version Series II and he had to rebook his car in January 2025 and after a six month wait, he was handed over the car on May 16, 2025. 

The wait was long, but not without proper reasons. Gopalakrishnan decided to make his Black Badge unique in more ways than one. “I had opted for many customisations like dual tone exterior painting and steering wheel, a special clock with the Spirit of Ecstasy statuette, lambswool carpet, pin stripes on both sides of the car and wheels, customised keys, special seat leather and colour with thread stitches, illuminated grill, ventilated massage seats, etc” he says. 

Customisations make the vehicle very unique but come at a cost. Exterior dual tone painting alone cost ₹1.2 crore making the total cost for customisation alone to around ₹2.5 crore and the total cost to a whopping ₹16 crore.

Gopalakrishnan says he likes to be behind the wheel when he is inside a car and not really sit on the back seat. “Best thing about this is it’s a driver’s car and I enjoy being behind the wheel,” he says. This model Black Badge has a 6.75-litre V12 engine, and has more power enhancements and it adds to the overall driving pleasure,” he says. “And it’s kind of formal, yet very sporty and compact.” His car collection includes a Porsche 911, Lamborghini Urus Performante (bearing the plate KL07DG0007 for which he paid ₹46 lakhs, the highest ever in India), a Lamborghni Huracan Sterrato in addition to a couple of Mercedes and BMWs. Alright, he’s not in the race to be the number one when it comes to car deliveries, but what about his race to own more automobiles? “A G-Wagon is next,” he smiles and adds, “and an Airbus helicopter.”