Rolls-Royce Spectre, the brand’s first all-electric model, is unveiled as it begins its 100 per cent electric goal
Today was finally the day chosen by the BMW Group to unveil the Rolls-Royce Spectre, the luxury brand’s first all-electric model, the successor to the Phantom Coupé. The Spectre marks a before and after for the brand, which aims to be 100% electric by 2030. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said:
“This is the start of a bold new chapter for our brand, our extraordinary customers and the luxury industry. For this reason, I believe the Spectre is the most perfect product Rolls-Royce has ever produced.”
The Rolls-Royce Spectre is built on the brand’s all-aluminium architecture. The aluminium sections and the integration of the battery into the structure of the vehicle allow it to be 30% stiffer than any other Rolls-Royce. The battery’s location, in the floor, provides a low profile and a flat floor, which they claim “performs a secondary function for the battery: almost 700kg of sound deadening“.
It uses the ‘Spirit’ software architecture, with full integration of the brand’s Whispers app, allowing customers to interact with the vehicle remotely. The brand claims that the “Spectre is the most connected Rolls-Royce ever”. One of the big integrations is the Planar suspension, about which they explain the following:
“Using a suite of new hardware components and taking advantage of Spectre’s high-speed processing capabilities, the Planar system can decouple the car’s anti-roll bars allowing each wheel to act independently, avoiding the roll motion that occurs when one side of the vehicle hits a ripple in the road. This also reduces high-frequency ride imperfections caused by deficiencies in road surface quality.
Once the imminence of a corner is identified, the Planar system re-engages the components and stiffens the dampers, and the four-wheel steering system prepares for activation to ensure effortless entry and exit. During cornering, 18 sensors are monitored and steering, braking, power delivery and suspension parameters are adjusted to keep the Spectre stable. The result is effortless control.
The Pantheon grille fins , the widest ever granted on a Rolls-Royce, now have a smoother design, designed to help guide air around the front of the car. Also, the large 23-inch wheels and opposing door opening are striking. The vehicle’s dimensions are very generous: 5.45 metres long, 2.08 metres wide and 1.55 metres high, with a wheelbase of 3.21 metres and a turning circle of 12.7 metres. The vehicle weighs 2,975 kg.
Of course, of note is its newly revamped ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ badge, which they report has been tuned for more than 830 hours to achieve good aerodynamics, resulting in an aerodynamic coefficient of 0.25 cd, making it Rolls-Royce’s most aerodynamic car ever.
While the brand has already said that final figures for power, acceleration and range are not yet available, it has given early preliminary numbers in these categories. The Rolls-Royce Spectre is expected to have a range of 520 kilometres WLTP and deliver 900 Nm of torque from its 430kW powertrain, guaranteeing acceleration from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
Having seen it undergo all manner of tests, including winter testing and those on the French Riviera, the Spectre is currently in the process of clocking up more than 2.5 million kilometres. Now, following its unveiling, the marque has finally revealed that the first Rolls-Royce Spectre will be delivered to customers in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Like all Rolls-Royce vehicles, the Spectre is fully customisable, offering exclusivity to its customers. Rolls-Royce has not yet said how much the Spectre will cost, although it has made it clear that “it will be positioned between the Cullinan and Phantom”.
The original text of this article has been extracted from this link. Thanks.