Rolls-Royce has revealed one of the most important vehicles in its history with the introduction of the Spectre. It is the company’s first battery-electric vehicle.
It’s big, bold and with the burden of a 700kg high-capacity battery pack, the Spectre is remarkably heavy, too, tipping the scales at 2975kg.
It measures in at 5453mm long, 2080mm wide, 1559mm high and has a wheelbase measuring in at 3210mm, and is packaged as a two-door coupe with seating for four people.
We’ll let you be the judge in terms of the styling package, but we think Rolls-Royce has done a great job of blending concept-style futuristic looks in a familiar, trademark Rolls’ manner.
Rolls-Royce says that preliminary power and torque figures stand at 430kW and 900Nm from its dual motor setup, which may well increase ahead of customer deliveries taking place.
There’s no word yet on the capacity of the lithium-ion pack, but the company says the Spectre is currently offering a range figure of 520km per charge on the WLTP cycle.
At its core, the Spectre rides on the latest generation of the company’s aluminium platform that is 30 per cent stiffer than previous models in the lineup, which integrates the battery directly into the chassis that doubles as a form of sound-deadening.
At the wheels, there’s a clever ‘Planar’ suspension system that is able to anticipate bumps on the road and decouple the anti-roll bars, an adaptive suspension system and rear-wheel steering that makes it manageable around town.
The company says the Spectre is the first Rolls-Royce two-door coupe to roll out of the factory on a set of 23-inch wheels for the first time in a century.
Inside, there’s the typically-astonishing attention to detail and over-the-top details like the fact the ‘starlight doors’ have received 4796 illuminated lights, bespoke wood panelling from the South of France and another 5500 stars on the dashboard for good measure.
The cabin retains a very familiar theme to the current generation Rolls-Royce lineup, with a pair of digital screens implanted into the dashboard.
As per usual with a Rolls-Royce creation, though, personalisation options are completely endless when it comes to colour combinations, materials and upholstery options that culminate in a frankly incredible cabin.
Rolls-Royce says that the first customer deliveries will be taking place in the latter stages of 2023, and it has been confirmed for the Australian market. Torsten Muller-Otvos, Rolls-Royce CEO, said:
“This is the start of a bold new chapter for our marque, our extraordinary clients and the luxury industry. For this reason, I believe the Spectre is the most perfect product that Rolls-Royce has ever produced.”
