Rolls-Royce’s new small car model will be called the ‘Ghost’, the automaker announced, and is set to make its official debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show set to be held in September.

The car, which was codenamed the RR4 in development and dubbed a ‘baby Rolls-Royce’, was officially named in an announcement made during the Shanghai motor show. According to Rolls-Royce officials, the Ghost will be made from the same materials and will have the same exacting standards as the Phantom. It could also sport the V12 from the 200EX concept car, which was previewed at the Geneva Show earlier this year.

Interestingly enough, even though they say ‘same’ materials, the 200EX concept used a steel monocoque body, different than the Phantom’s spaceframe. Of course, it’s a concept for the Ghost, so Rolls could still give the car a spaceframe body for production. Styling-wise, there shouldn’t be any considerable changes for the production Ghost.

Ghost sales will start later in 2009. There might be less than 2000 units for the annual production run, if not less as Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves intends.

Rolls-Royce has announced that the upcoming Rolls-Royce RR4 saloon will come with a new turbocharged V12 engine, giving the British luxury car manufacturer a model that tops its own Phantom at a more affordable price.

Sources say that the turbocharged engine will be capable of over 500 brake horsepower and is expected to be mated to an all-new eight-speed transmission by ZF. With the RR4’s expected power numbers, it should easily overtake the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which is capable of 453 brake horsepower with its own naturally-aspirated V12 with direct injection technology. The engine is essentially a reworked BMW V12.

The RR4 uses a steel space-frame body and is smaller than the Phantom, and should have better emissions and fuel economy figures. The company has billed the RR4 as the “approachable Rolls”, as it is relatively cheap at £170,000, or less than $250,000. Just how many people find this “approachable”, we’ll never know.

The Rolls-Royce RR4 will be officially showcased to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and is expected to start sales by January 2010.

Source: Autocar