Following months of teasing, Rolls-Royce has revealed its first ever electric car, the new Spectre coupe. If ever a brand was suited to electrification, Rolls-Royce is it, and indeed its co-founder, Charles Stewart Rolls, identified that as long ago as 1900 when he quipped "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." Hence the company's "prophesy fulfilled" tagline...
Distinctly Rolls-Royce design
It doesn't matter what propels the Spectre, as it looks every inch the modern-day Rolls-Royce coupe, and the company refers to it as the spiritual (no pun intended, we're sure) successor to the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.
Up front, what appears to be a traditional Rolls-Royce grille is wider than in any previous model from the firm, and it's lit from behind. As there's no engine to cool, the grille's polished stainless-steel vanes are smooth, designed to push air around the car. Indeed, the Spectre has the lowest drag coefficient of any Rolls-Royce yet, at 0.25. Even the famous 'Spirit of Ecstasy' figurine has been re-sculpted.
Either side of the grille are sharp, almost-horizontal LED daytime running lights, while the main driving lights below appear dark when not in use. The whole arrangement looks imperious, imposing and upright from some angles, but in the side-on view it's possible to see the sloping bonnet and curve of the grille and wings.
Meanwhile, the upright side panels contrast with the deliciously sloping roof and rear window line, while a muscular haunch extends sharply over the rear wheels - 23 inches in diameter. The doors are hinged at the back and the side glass is compact, an approach that extends to the minimal rear lights - though look through our image gallery and you'll appreciate how jewel-like the lamps are. Naturally, there are no exhaust outlets.
Exuberant cabin style
Inside, special illumination takes centre stage as the established Starlight Headlining feature is joined by a similar design on the doors, while the Spectre name on the passenger side of the dashboard is surrounded by 5,500 'stars' of its own when the car is switched on.
The dashboard itself is a digital affair, running the Rolls-Royce 'Spirit' architecture that interfaces with the 'Whispers' smartphone app. The Spectre is the first car from the firm to allow tailoring of the digital side of things via the Bespoke commissioning process. Fancy matching the colours of the digital dials to your Spectre's leather or paint colours? No problem. Indeed, Rolls-Royce confirms that the "Spectre's interior suite offers clients near-infinite Bespoke possibilities."
There's room for four in the Spectre cabin, and yes, there are umbrellas hidden to the front of the doors.
More than adequate performance
Gone are the days when Rolls-Royce didn't deign to confirm how powerful or fast its cars were, but even so, the Spectre's specifications have not all been finalised. We're told there's up to 900Nm of torque and 585hp on tap, which we presume comes from a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive layout. A 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds is expected by Rolls-Royce, despite the car's 2,975kg weight.
Not that Rolls-Royce buyers are likely to be concerned with such things, but a preliminary energy consumption figure of 21.5kWh/100km results in a range of 520 kilometres. That suggests a usable battery pack size of well over 100kWh.
In terms of size, the Spectre is longer and wider than the Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV, but shorter than the Phantom. It will be priced between the two and buyers can now begin the ordering process, for first deliveries at the end of 2023.