For over one hundred years the name Rolls Royce has been at the pinnacle of luxury motoring. It just doesn’t get any better than this. Just because a car is a Rolls Royce though does not mean it is stuck in the past along with tweed plus-fours and string-backed driving gloves (although some may still find this to be desirable attire, to be fair).
No, they are as modern and technologically advanced as any premium brand out there. They remain the best car you can buy, yet top quality pre-loved Rollers can be surprisingly affordable.
Rolls Royce have not however rested on their automotive legacy laurels; they have truly moved with the times by introducing the new and stunningly gorgeous Spectre, the brand’s first fully electric car.
On The Outside
The Spectre is a generously proportioned, visually striking two-door fastback. With pillar-less, powered doors (made from aluminium to aid lightness), the Spectre’s ‘Pantheon’ grille is the widest ever fitted to a Rolls-Royce. The polished stainless-steel vanes are smooth and flush-fitting, and softly illuminated, creating a subtle three-dimensional signature at night.
The traditional Spirit of Ecstasy figurine was specially created for the Spectre. With a lower stance and more aerodynamic profile, it contributes to the motor car’s drag coefficient of just 0.25cd, making Spectre the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever built. The split headlights have been a signature Rolls-Royce feature for many years, and are a direct visual reference to Spectre’s illustrious forebear, the Phantom Coupé.
The sharp, vertical bow line draws the eye rearward to Spectre’s fast back, which is inspired by classic motor cars. The seamless roofline contributes significantly to Spectre’s exceptional aerodynamics. The lower ‘waft line’ is the visual representation of the fabled Rolls-Royce ‘magic carpet ride’; Spectre’s coachwork gently tucks into the sill, lightening the surfacing and creating a sense of motion by reflecting the road passing beneath it, much like a racing yacht’s hull reflects the water as it cuts through it.
Following the roofline back, the tail lamps are set into the largest single body panel ever produced for a Rolls-Royce, which extends from the A-pillar to the luggage compartment. In anticipation of a variety of Bespoke exterior colour commissions, the rear lamps are colourless for neutrality. To match Spectre’s generous proportions, it is the first production Rolls-Royce two-door coupé to be equipped with 23 inch wheels in almost 100 years. The opportunities to accessorise the Spectre, inside and out are limitless; essentially each new Spectre will be unique to its owner.
On The Inside
Spectre’s interior contains a wealth of technologically advanced Bespoke features. For the first time on a series production Rolls Royce, these include Starlight Doors, which incorporate 4,796 softly illuminated ‘stars’. If they wish, customers can alternatively choose a backdrop of ‘Canadel’ panelling, hand-crafted from a range of exquisite wood.
Inspired by British tailoring (what else?), the all-new front seat design has lapel sections that can be rendered in contrasting or matching colours to the main base. As with all Rolls-Royce cars, the Spectre’s interior suite offers clients near-infinite Bespoke possibilities. Is there any point in describing the interior further? Just have a look at our images: The seats are magnificent; there’s leather and there’s real wood and all the accoutrements expected in such a car.
The sophisticated extruded aluminium sections and integration of the battery into the structure make Spectre’s space-frame thirty percent stiffer than in any previous Rolls-Royce. The architecture also allowed engineers to place the floor halfway between the sill structures rather than above or underneath them, helping to develop that sleek, low-slung look. Rolls Royce uses a version of parent company BMW’s iDrive infotainment system that has both a touchscreen and a rotary controller, with bespoke appearance and software that’s simple to navigate. The climate dials are wonderfully analogue.
A channel for wiring and climate control pipework runs between the battery and the floor, with the battery mounted underneath, producing a perfectly smooth underfloor profile. This allows a low seating position, while moving the bulkhead location deepens the dashboard to create a truly cocooning passenger cabin. This sensation is amplified by Spectre’s dramatically raked windscreen, which also contributes to the car’s exceptional aerodynamics (see below). The battery’s position gives it a highly beneficial secondary function: fully integrated into the motor car’s architecture, it acts as 700kg of additional acoustic insulation. Rollers have always been applauded for their ‘magic carpet ride’. Nothing has changed thanks to a superb suspension system.
On The Road
With the Spectre, Rolls-Royce are committing the brand to an uncompromised electric future by specifying an all-electric drivetrain rather than a hybrid solution, which is the usual first step to electrification. It is fitted with two ‘Separately Excited Synchronous Motors’. The front electric motor produces 190kW / 365 Nm, with the rear motor delivering 360kW / 710 Nm. In performance terms, this equates to an internal combustion engine of 430kW (584 bhp) with 900Nm of torque. In terms of acceleration, Spectre achieves 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds). That is pretty impressive for such a big, luxurious vehicle.
In establishing an appropriate range for Spectre, the brand first took the trouble to actually ask their clients and potential buyers. The confirmed range of 530km (329 miles) goes beyond these requirements, confirming that Spectre fits perfectly into the lifestyle of Rolls-Royce clients, who drive an average of 5,100km in their current Rolls-Royce per year, we learn.
Charge time from 10-80% is 34 minutes using a 195 kW (DC) fast charger: this will also produce sufficient charge for 100km in around nine minutes. Spectre is equipped with Active Lane Centring and Adaptive Cruise Control simultaneously. The car has a braking recuperation function that the driver can configure by pushing a button marked ‘B’ on the Column Shifter. By activating ‘Brake Mode’, braking recuperation is increased, enabling so-called single-pedal driving and even allowing the car to come to a complete stop if desired. The default setting on starting is low recuperation, mimicking the automatic driving style of an internal combustion engine Rolls-Royce.
The steering is generally ideally weighted and consistent. It just wants the same force, and has the same self-centring, with the same perfect accuracy, all the time. Most surprising is the country road capability; for its size, this car can really handle, but that’s not how we drive is it?
Let’s not beat around the bush. This car is very, very expensive but it is a tribute to the makers that such a car exists at all. Importing any Rolls Royce car (or indeed any prestige EV) using the tried and tested MHH International programme from the UK to New Zealand or to Kenya or indeed other global destinations will bring the lucky owner a real piece of motoring heritage.
