Text by Corina Tan
In the 1900, Rolls-Royce co-founder Charles Rolls prophesied an electric future for the motor car. Most recently, in September 2021, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller- Ötvös, made a public commitment to electrification by announcing that he would bring a fully electric Rolls-Royce to market within the current decade. More than 120 years later, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is ready to unveil a transformative motor car sufficiently curated for the most demanding consumer – the Rolls-Royce client.
The new and first ever fully electric car called Spectre, represents a prophecy fulfilled, a promise kept, and an undertaking completed. Spectre sets a precedent in the creation of an entirely original class of motor car, the Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé which is the spiritual successor to Phantom Coupé. This designation refers to Spectre’s indulgent proportions, specified in response to a commitment that there is no greater luxury than that of space.
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The inspiration for its design is drawn from worlds beyond the automotive and includes haute couture, modernist sculpture, nautical design, tailoring and contemporary art, resulting in the lowest drag coefficient ever for a Rolls-Royce. As with all Rolls-Royce motor cars, Spectre’s interior suite offers clients near-infinite Bespoke possibilities.
Spectre is available with Starlight Doors or the option of Canadel wood panelling, an Illuminated Fascia sporting a cluster of over 5,500 stars, an all-new front seat design inspired by British tailoring, a completely redesigned digital architecture of luxury named SPIRIT, a revolutionary ‘Decentralised Intelligence’ system that realises a Rolls-Royce in high definition with 141,200 sender-receiver variables, and a powerful 700kg battery which also serves to deaden sound.
SPIRIT fully integrates the marque’s Whispers application, the World’s Most Exclusive Member’s Club offered by Rolls-Royce, allowing clients to interact with their car remotely, and receive live information curated by luxury intelligence specialists.
Spectre’s Planar suspension system has been developed to deliver Rolls-Royce’s next generation of hallmark ‘magic carpet ride’ that reduces high-frequency ride imperfections whilst ensuring steering, braking and power delivery with effortless control. To ensure Spectre is prepared for the most demanding consumers in the world, it is continuously being subjected to various tests that equate to more than 400 years of use for a Rolls-Royce.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars had these important words to say:
“Spectre possesses all the qualities that have secured the Rolls-Royce legend. This incredible motor car, conceived from the very beginning as our first fully electric model, is silent, powerful and demonstrates how perfectly Rolls-Royce is suited to electrification. Spectre’s all-electric powertrain will assure the marque’s sustained success and relevance while dramatically increasing the definition of each characteristic that makes a Rolls-Royce a Rolls-Royce.”
“At Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, perfection is about more than making the very best products. It is a culture, an attitude and our guiding philosophy. Indeed, it is our founding father Sir Henry Royce who said, ‘strive for perfection in everything you do’. Spectre has been conceived within this culture. It is perfectly in tune with the sensibilities of our time. It states the direction for the future of our marque and perfectly answers a call from the most discerning individuals in the world to elevate the electric motor car experience, because Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second.”
“This is the start of a bold new chapter for our marque, our extraordinary clients and the luxury industry. For this reason, I believe Spectre is the most perfect product that Rolls-Royce has ever produced.”
The final power, acceleration and range figures are still being refined, as the extraordinary undertaking of finessing Spectre enters its final phase before concluding in the second quarter of 2023. Preliminary data shows that Spectre is expected to have an all-electric range of 520 kilometres /320 miles WLTP and offer 900Nm of torque from its 430kW powertrain. It is anticipated to achieve 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds. (0- 60mph in 4.4 seconds). With many months of testing and optimisation of Spectre still ahead, these figures are subject to change ahead of official confirmation prior to market launch.
Available for commission immediately, Spectre pricing will be positioned between Cullinan and Phantom with first client deliveries commencing in Q4 of 2023.
