rolls-royce spectre debuts world's first luxury electric super coupé

‘The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged,’ predicts Charles Rolls, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, in 1900.

120 years after Charles Rolls’ prophecy, the luxury marque finally debuts its first fully-electric car. The Rolls-Royce Spectre brings the British brand’s famed experience – instant torque, silent running and magic carpet ride – into an emission-free future. In fact, the world’s first ultra-luxury electric super coupe not only marks the beginning of their all-electric era but also their future: Rolls-Royce’s entire product portfolio will be fully electric by 2030.

Jewelry box-like headlights are split by the widest ever grille on a Rolls-Royce

All images courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

nautical-inspired exterior design of the rolls-royce spectre

To capture an aesthetic of this new era of electric, the designers of the Rolls-Royce Spectre were inspired by haute couture, modernist sculpture and nautical design. Jewelry box-like headlights are split by the widest ever grille on a Rolls-Royce. The illuminated vanes of the pantheon grille are smoother and flusher to guide air around. The Spirit of Ecstasy sculpture has also been aero-tuned to improve drag co-efficiency to just 0.25cd.

The exterior design of the Rolls-Royce Spectre was inspired by haute couture, modernist sculpture and nautical design

A sharp, vertical bow line flows rearward from the front to its monolithic flank. This precise lower line is borrowed from the coachwork of yachts, as it reflects the road passing beneath like the hull mirroring the ocean below. The greenhouse seamlessly and dramatically slopes as a fastback coupé. Muscular shoulders lead to vertical, colorless tail lamps that are set into the largest single body panel ever produced by Rolls-Royce, extending from the A-pillar to the luggage compartment. This electric era design sits on 23-inch wheels.

The greenhouse seamlessly and dramatically slopes as a fastback coupé

star-lit cabin of personalized luxury

Inside, the craftspeople created a suite of contemporary luxury that fills its large, comfortable space with even more personalized choices than ever before. For the first time on a production model, starlight doors depict a night’s sky as 4,796 softly illuminated stars shine above. The theme continues with an illuminated fascia where the Spectre nameplate is surrounded by a constellation of over 5,500 stars. The design of the all-new front seat shows off the finest of British tailoring. Lapel sections can be rendered in either matching or contrasting colors to the main base, with a choice of bespoke stitching, embroidery and intricate piping.

Starlight doors depict a night’s sky as 4,796 softly illuminated stars shine above

Up top on the digital display, the completely redesigned digital architecture, called Spirit, also has almost near-infinite bespoke possibilities. It manages the car’s functions. Integrated within the Whispers application, clients are able to interact with the car remotely as well as receive live information.

the greatest luxury: space

To give more space in the interior – the greatest luxury of all – the floor is placed halfway between the sill to create a low seating position. This is achieved thanks to sophisticated sections in the all-aluminum architecture of luxury. The third edition of this high flexible spaceframe is designed specifically for electric. This has enabled the engineers to tailor the EV to perfectly fit expectations of space, comfort and overall experience.

The all-aluminum architecture of luxury and decentralised intelligence realizes the Rolls-Royce experience in electric

electric magic carpet ride

Spectre’s decentralised intelligence is said to be a ‘Rolls-Royce in high definition’ owing to its speed and accuracy in response to any road or weather condition. The planar suspension orchestrates precisely defined responses for driver inputs and driving conditions. This is how the magic carpet ride is delivered. The system can decouple and recouple to adapt to the road. This helps delivers the luxury marque’s famed performance in electric.

Final testing is still to be confirmed ahead of production in 2023, but the Rolls-Royce Spectre is anticipated to offer an all-electric range of 320 miles (520 km). Public and domestic charging will be possible through type 2 sockets. A 420 kW powertrain supplies 900 Nm of torque that races it from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds.