‘The Mount Everest of’ something is among the most well-known idioms in the English language, used in reference to a near-insurmountable challenge, while the equally well-known ‘the Rolls-Royce of’ something implies the very best in class.
But when that something in question is an actual Rolls-Royce – namely Spectre, the manufacturer’s first fully electric vehicle – then the pressure to deliver really is, well, Everest-like.
Irene Nikkein, the Asia-Pacific regional director for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, calls the ultra-luxury electric two-door coupe the “most anticipated model in the history of our marque”. “Spectre,” she adds, “has captured the imagination of many, representing as it does the start of our brand’s bold electric future.”
It was a future prophesised way back in 1900 by company co-founder-to-be Charles Stewart Rolls – four years before he teamed up with Henry Royce – when he wrote in a magazine article: “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.”
Not only has that prediction come to fruition through Spectre, but Rolls-Royce has gone several steps further by vowing that they will “never again produce a new model with an internal combustion engine”: their promise being that the entire product portfolio will be fully electric by the end of 2030. Though, in the meantime, the luxury carmaker is keen to stress that Spectre is “a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second”.
It’s being billed as the “spiritual successor to the fabled Phantom Coupé”, and Spectre’s form is just as magnificent with lines you almost want to reach out to stroke as if tentatively reaching for a horse’s mane. Yet, paradoxically, this elegant beast’s aerodynamic shape looks every bit as hefty as its three-tonne weight would suggest (for comparison, a large SUV weighs ‘just’ two tonnes), its nautical-inspired silhouette a massive, muscular low arch that could have been hand carved from a single block of granite (for the record, it’s actually built around an all-aluminium spaceframe). And just like the greatest heavyweight of them all, like a butterfly, Spectre floats.
Spectre’s sheer size – and agility – means it feels as though you’re steering a high-performance hovercraft as you seemingly glide just above the tarmac’s surface (Rolls-Royce promotes the driving experience as a “magic carpet ride”); a hovercraft that reaches 100km/hr in a thrilling four seconds.
Such thrust comes courtesy of a dual-motor electric powertrain with 584 horsepower, while the battery, which offers a range of up to 530km, has a 10% to 80% charge on a 195kW DC fast charger in just 34 minutes (and will produce sufficient charge for 100km in around nine minutes; a complete 0% to 100% percent on a 22kW home wallbox takes 5.5 hours.). The braking recuperation function is activated by the push of a button, otherwise low recuperation is the default setting, mimicking the driving style of an internal combustion engine Rolls-Royce.
A lack of an engine hasn’t stopped Rolls-Royce from affixing their widest ever grille to the front-end, its vertical stainless-steel blades gently illuminated by LED lights. Above, the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy – or ‘Flying Lady’ – rises elegantly from the bonnet and, such is the attention to detail that the lower-stance profile was perfected over 830 hours of design modelling and wind-tunnel testing. Not only is the figurine the company’s most aerodynamic ever, so too is Spectre. It’s also the first production Rolls-Royce two-door coupé to be equipped with 23-inch wheels in nearly a century.
Reclining into Spectre’s plush cabin feels like settling in for a first-class flight – the seats even offer a massage!
Spectre’s body stretches for almost 5.4m, and almost 1.5m of that length is dedicated to its massive, laser-welded pillarless coach doors – also the largest the company has ever fitted – opened and closed via the Effortless Doors power-assisted system (the driver’s door will also close automatically when the brake pedal is pressed).
Reclining into Spectre’s plush cabin feels like settling in for a first-class flight – the seats even offer a massage! Everything about it feels modern and classic all at once (though, if your preference is for more modern or more classic, the entire cabin – as well as the exterior paintwork – can be tailored to suit your specific taste). The dreamy, ethereal space is illuminated by thousands upon thousands of twinkling stars which dot the roof, and, if desired, the doors, too (or opt for some Canadel panelling, “handcrafted from a range of exquisite woods”, if you prefer).
Touchscreen infotainment systems are standard, complemented by a digital gauge display and safety and driver-assist features such as adaptive cruise control and automated emergency braking. Not content with being the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever produced, Spectre is the most connected to boot, able to send and receive 141,200 variables concerning the likes of climate, surface type, driving style, and ground speed to allow the car to respond more efficiently to both driver and road conditions.
Smoothness aside, the driving experience is so silent that it’s easy to forget that you’re sat behind the wheel of such a head-turning vehicle, so don’t expect to not get looked at.
It’s the least you can expect from what truly is the Rolls-Royce of electric cars.
Pricing in New Zealand starts from $750,000 + on the road costs.
