“The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean,” said Charles Stewart Rolls, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, in 1900. “There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.”
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A mere 122 years after Rolls-Royce co-founder, Charles Rolls, prophesied an electric future for the motor car upon acquiring an electric vehicle named The Columbia Electric Carriage, the British marque has made good on the foresight of its founding father. The Rolls-Royce Spectre is the automotive manufacturer’s first fully electric vehicle. It signals the dawn of an all-electric era for Rolls-Royce, with the marque pledging to phase out its V12 engines and go completely electric by 2030.
“This is the start of a bold new chapter for our marque, our extraordinary clients and the luxury industry,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “For this reason, I believe Spectre is the most perfect product that Rolls-Royce has ever produced.”
Indeed, as the typical Rolls-Royce customer does not desire the scent of petrol or the heart-racing throbbing and aural pleasure of an internal combustion engine, the transition to an all-electric future should be a smooth (and quiet) one for the British marque.
With the unveiling of Spectre, Rolls-Royce claims to have invented an entirely new motor car sub-category, which the British marque has termed the ‘Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé’. The new nomenclature was created to signify the Spectre’s indulgent proportions which, according to the brand, were “specified in response to a commitment that there is no greater luxury than that of space.”
Put simply: it’s big. Unlike the Maserati GranTurismo or Porsche Taycan, Rolls-Royce have not taken pains to keep proportions or weights down, with designers of the Spectre looking to modern yacht concepts for aesthetic inspiration. The Spectre boasts the widest grille ever seen on a Rolls-Royce, while the aero-tuned Spirit of Ecstacy figurine sitting atop it works to enhance the car’s drag coefficient; at 0.25Cd, Spectre is Rolls-Royce’s most aerodynamic motor car to date.
In profile, the vertical bow line at the front draws the eye rearward to the Spectre’s monolithic flanks, with the lower line drawing directly from yacht design. A dramatically sloped fastback creates a seamless effect, achieved by the largest single-body panel ever produced for a Rolls-Royce. The vertical tail lamps are kept deliberately neutral, preempting the myriad colourways selected by clients during the commissioning process. Continuing the ‘first ever’ theme, the Spectre is the first production two-door coupé to be equipped with 23-inch wheels in almost a century.
And, lest anyone fail to notice you’re driving a Rolls-Royce during a nighttime drive, there are 22 LEDs that light up the sandblasted rear side of each of the vanes, asserting the Spectre’s presence on the street after dark.
Inside, the Spectre lights up like the night sky, with 4796 lights forming illuminated ‘stars’. Naturally, clients can also commission their coach doors to be made with a backdrop of wood Canadel Panelling, which takes its name from the cove in the South of France where Sir Henry Royce and his design team spent their winters. The nocturnal ambience continues with an illuminated fascia on the passenger side of the dashboard, which plays host to over 5500 stars that are only visible when the car is running (or gliding, as the case may be).
Rolls-Royce is already famed for its quiet V12 engines. The Rolls-Royce Spectre takes it a step further and is set to be virtually noiseless. While exact figures are yet to be finalised, the 430kW powertrain is expected to produce 660 bhp of torque, have an all-electric range of 520km, and go from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
Pricing is yet to be announced, however, it’s likely set to sit between the Cullinan and Phantom variants, placing it at around $800,000AUD before on-road costs. The all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre is slated for launch to market in Q4 2023.
In the meantime, you can play around with customising your own Rolls-Royce Spectre on the Rolls-Royce webstore via the link below.
Words by T. Angel
