Rolls-Royce Leans Into Its Past for Spectre Inspiration

The new Rolls-Royce Spectre is the beginning of a new era for the super luxury automaker, but it doesn't signal the end of the current era. It will live side-by-side in the company's stable with the Cullinan SUV and Phantom sedan, among others, giving buyers a zero emissions option that is able to be customized more fully than any of its stablemates.

In 1900, Charles Stewart Rolls, the co-founder of Rolls-Royce, said, "The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration." That era of electric vehicle was ahead of its time.

With its modern standard of excellence already well defined, Rolls-Royce engineers have pushed their company's bar higher, delivering a 21st Century electric car that aims to be noiseless, clean, and lacking unpleasant smells and vibrations.

To accomplish this feat, Rolls-Royce developed the most rigorous testing program the company has ever created. Spectre, in development form, is on a 2.5-million kilometer journey that will simulate 400 years of use for the model. That program is slated to be completed in the second quarter of 2023.

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Vehicle testing routinely pushes a model in development to the extreme. Spectre is no exception to that rule. It spent time 55 kilometers from the Arctic Circle in Arjeplog, Sweden, at temperatures as low as -40 degrees centigrade. Spectre was also tested across Southern Africa where temperatures reached 55 degrees centigrade.

However, about half of the car's testing is taking place where its owners will drive it the most, including the Côte d'Azur.

Rolls-Royce places Spectre into its own category, defining it as the first Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé, citing its "indulgent proportions" and the company's belief that there is "no greater luxury that that of space".

Inspiration for the model came from various aspects of worlds beyond automotive - haute couture, modernist sculpture, nautical design, tailoring and contemporary art.

The bespoke automaker calls the Phantom Coupé Spectre's "spiritual predecessor". That model, which was part of the company's Rolls-Royce 1.0 plans. Spectre pushes forward into Rolls-Royce 3.0 following an era (Rolls-Royce 2.0) that saw a rapid expansion of model product offerings including the Dawn convertible and Cullinan SUV.

Spectre's coach doors can be commissioned with a backdrop of wood Canadel Panelling, which takes its name from the cove in the South of France where Henry Royce, co-founder of the company, and his design team spent their winters.

Preliminary data shows that Spectre will have an all-electric range of 320 miles and move from zero to 60 miles per hour (mph) in 4.4. seconds.

The first Spectre orders are scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Spectre pricing will be positioned between Cullinan and Phantom.