Rolls-Royce commissions one-off NFT to tease Ghost Black Badge
The company's next Black Badge model will debut on Oct. 28.
Rolls-Royce will debut its next Black Badge variant on Oct. 28, the company confirmed Thursday. And while Rolls-Royce won't officially say the next Black Badge is based on the new Ghost , the car pictured in the teaser above is a dead giveaway.
This isn't any ordinary teaser image, though. It's actually a still from a non-fungible token (NFT) animation, created by artist Mason London. NFTs are the hot new thing in the art world these days, though admittedly, I don't really get the hype. As CNET explains, an NFT is basically a unique digital token that's tied to an asset, like a painting or sculpture. Basically, instead of owning the object itself, you own the digital token tied to the object.
NFTs are definitely creating substantial buzz, and they aren't cheap, either. One NFT recently sold for $69 million at auction, which, frankly, is insane. For London's Black Badge commission, Rolls-Royce says the NFT will be stored in an encrypted wallet at the company's headquarters in Goodwood, England. Rolls-Royce will not confirm the estimated value of the NFT, but considering this company's customers are willing to spend tens of millions of dollars on custom-built cars, the idea that one of them might dig into NFTs isn't too far fetched.
As for the new Ghost Black Badge, expect it to follow a familiar formula. It'll likely have a more sinister appearance, and probably a bit more power, too. As with all Rolls-Royce models, the personalization possibilities will be nearly limitless. Fingers crossed for a new Neon Nights series; wouldn't the Ghost look hot in bright green?
We'll have the full Ghost Black Badge details when it debuts at 5:00 a.m. PT on Thursday, Oct. 28.
