2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre – Making a Strong, Silent Statement
By Edward A. Sanchez — Oct. 18, 2022
The existence and development of the Rolls-Royce Spectre has not been a great secret, with the brand itself teasing camo-wrapped prototypes roaming the streets of the UK and Europe. Today, we finally have official images of the brand’s first official full battery-electric vehicle. And what a stunner it is. No disrespect to Cadillac and the Celestiq, but if you were to pull up to the curb of a Met gala, what would you rather be seen getting out of? Enough said.
If we’re measuring by pedestrian standards of raw horsepower and stoplight Grands Prix, the Spectre falls well short of the benchmarks set by the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire. The preliminary output specifications of its powertrain are a comparably modest 430 kW (577 hp) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) of torque. Rolls-Royce claims a comfortably swift, but not earth-shattering 0-100 km (0-62 mph) time of 4.5 seconds.
I can hear the armchair quarterbacks and Detroit “homers” already: “You hypocrite, Ed! You throw shade at the Celestiq for having a 0-60 time of ‘only’ 3.8 seconds, and now you’re heaping praise on this EV Rolls!”
Despite being an EV, the Spectre retains a strikingly Rolls-Royce grille.
Let’s be honest. Rolls-Royces have always been, and will always be at their core, about making a statement. They’re about status and wealth projection in paradoxically, the most vulgar form possible, yet at the same time, the brand has such a carefully curated and polished image, they’re still seen by most as the pinnacle of class and refinement. Who cares if you get smoked by the tech bro in the Plaid next to you at the stoplight? All eyes are going to be on you, not him, as you gracefully and silently waft away from the light.
Rolls Royce is claiming a coefficient of drag of 0.25 for its forthcoming Spectre EV.
My fawning over the Spirit of Ecstasy aside, let’s take a look at some of the Spectre’s other features. The ICE model equivalent that the Spectre most closely resembles is the Wraith coupe, which it ostensibly replaces. Like the Wraith, the Spectre has rear-hinged (or “suicide” in colloquial terms) doors, and a four-seat interior. Although instantly recognizable as a Rolls-Royce – thanks to the trademark grille – some astute aerodynamic tuning and engineering results in a surprisingly sleek 0.25 Cd.
The interior features nearly 5,000 individual points of light on the door panels, giving a “starlight” effect at night. Rolls-Royce models have featured a starlight-inspired headliner for many years, but this is the first time the effect has been applied to the door panels.
The starlight illumination will wrap to the doors in the forthcoming Rolls-Royce Spectre.
Rolls-Royces have long been known for their almost tomb-like isolation from NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness), and the Spectre leverages its massive battery pack to further attenuate road noise. The precise kWh capacity is not yet officially specified, but the company does share a few details. The pack weight is listed as 770 kg (just under 1,700 pounds), and efficiency is listed as 2.9 miles/kWh, or 21.5 kWh/100 km. I’m sure Jason Fenske could crunch those numbers and extrapolate a battery capacity, but I’m not an engineer, so I’ll leave the crunching to those who are.
In terms of pricing – as the saying goes, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” Rolls-Royce only says the Spectre will be priced “between Cullinan and Phantom.” Using the current listed MSRPs for those models, that puts it somewhere in the neighborhood of $340,000-460,000. For argument’s sake, let’s say $400k. I’m not going to say it’s a bargain, lest I rile the wrath of the aforementioned Detroit homers. This is an expensive, exclusive car, and priced appropriately.
Rolls-Royce owners should find themselves right at home in the Spectre EV.
Personally, it’s not my cup of tea – I’d rather spend $250,000 on a Lucid Air Sapphire, and pocket the $150k, if we’re talking about Monopoly money. But for those who want to make an unmistakable statement about their status, and want to do it silently, the Spectre will find plenty of eager buyers, I have no doubt.
(Images courtesy Rolls-Royce)
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