CarBrandLogos archive · Rolls-Royce · 2023

Rolls-RoyceSpectre

Charles Rolls thought electric carriages were the future in 1900. It took a while.

Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Rolls-Royce history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Rolls-Royce Spectre, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

In 1900 Charles Rolls drove an electric Columbia and concluded that such a vehicle was clean and free of noise or vibration, but that it would remain impractical until charging points existed. The Spectre, launched in 2023, was presented by Rolls-Royce as the fulfilment of that observation, and the company committed to selling nothing but electric cars by the end of the decade.

Rolls-Royce Spectre IAA 2023 1X7A0752 · Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Design and engineering

The case for an electric Rolls-Royce is easier to make than for most brands. Silence, immediate torque and the absence of gearchanges are precisely the qualities the marque has advertised for a century, and the aluminium spaceframe shared with the Phantom and Ghost was designed from the outset to accept a battery. The pack is mounted low and also acts as acoustic insulation between the cabin and the road.

Rolls-Royce Spectre · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

What arrived is a large two-door coupe with dual motors and all-wheel drive, replacing the Wraith at the top of the two-door range, with Jan Rosenthal credited for the design. The doors are enormous, rear-hinged and power-operated, the roofline unbroken, and the front is dominated by an illuminated grille that does no cooling work at all. The starlight headlining extends into the doors.

Legacy

It is built at Goodwood alongside the combustion models, and it sold out well ahead of first deliveries. For a company whose customers have historically resisted change, the notable thing is how little argument there was.

At a glance