After 2.5 million test kilometres, the fully-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre heralds the end of one era, and the beginning of another. Rolls-Royce will produce no new models that burn planet-killing fossil fuels, something few other legacy car makers can claim.

What is Spectre?

“Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second.” The two-door fastback picks up where the Phantom Coupé left off. Rolls Royce has made a big shout about every car being unique, and each car is crafted to exact order details, not knocked out like a forecourt of foibled fripperies.

Owners have the luxury of illuminated stars on the passenger side dash fascia, and the first Starlight Doors ever seen on a road-going Rolls-Royce.

What’s underneath ‘Rolls-Royce 3.0’

Under BMW custodianship, the 2003 Phantom was the first Goodwood-era Rolls-Royce,  following the last of the “Silver” monogrammed marvels, the Silver Seraph. After the bungled purchase of Rolls-Royce by VW, it transpired that VW got the Bentley name and the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph model. Realising the catastrophic BMW swooped down, snatching up the Rolls-Royce name, and thus the rights to make future Rolls-Royce models.

Phantom had its very own spaceframe architecture, arguably called Rolls-Royce 1.0. Next came the ‘Architecture of Luxury’ all-aluminium spaceframe used in Cullinan and Ghost, known as Rolls-Royce 2.0. Now, Rolls-Royce 3.0 that is scalable, fixed around 4 points, and carries a fully-electric powertrain and Decentralised Intelligence.

Alan Zurvas reviewed the Cullinan HERE

It means Rolls-Royce designers can put the bulkhead, floor, crossmembers and sill panels wherever they wish, for any size vehicle. Why not have a Rolls-Royce city car?

Rolls-Royce 3.0 uses extruded aluminium sections allowing the battery to be part of the floor, making Spectre 30% stiffer previous Rolls-Royces. There is a wiring and pipework channel running between the battery and the floor, and like many EVs, has completely smooth underfloor profile. Like other EV-only platforms, Rolls-Royce 3.0 has a low seating position, and the front bulkhead put in a place giving space to the passenger compartment rather than the engine bay. Rolls-Royce claims the 700kg battery acts as acoustic insulation.

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ABOVE: All New Rolls Royce Spectre Electric Coupe inside and out

The electric motors:

While other luxury auto makers have gone down the hybrid route, Rolls-Royce Spectre (and all future Roll-Royces) is all electric, with 2 Separately Excited Synchronous Motors (SSMs). There is a 190kW / 365 Nm at the front and 360kW/710 Nm at the rear. Rolls-Royce rates the output as equal to an ICE drivetrain equivalent of 430kW/900Nm, giving Spectre a 0-100km/h of 4.5 seconds.

The 102kWh lithium-ion battery has a range of 530km (329 miles) WLTP. Rolls-Royce owners have an average of more than seven cars in their garage, and average a piffling 5,100km a year in their current Rolls-Royce car. It makes charging a relatively rare event, but when needed, up can charge from 10-80% in 34 minutes on a 195 kW (DC) fast charger, good for 100km in around 9 minutes.

Spectre’s a 102kWh lithium-ion battery uses cobalt and lithium from strictly and ethically controlled sources in Australia, Morocco and Argentina.  The cells are created with 100% green electricity, and tested in temperatures ranges of -40°C to +50°C.

Braking Regeneration 

Spectre has a button marked ‘B’ on the Column Shifter that activates ‘Brake Mode’ to increase recuperation is, and allow single-pedal driving. EV drivers are already used to this driving style, but Spectre starts in low recuperation mode that feels more akin to a petrol-burning Rolls-Royce.

On Board Computing

Spectre is the most connected Rolls-Royce ever, with three times as many sender-receiver signals as any previous model. Decentralised Intelligence processes data closer to its source, making faster decisions than that using a single central processing unit. Sensors feed information about ground speed, road type, vehicle status and driving style, to allow the systems to adapt the vehicle quickly to the current situation.

It works with the Planar Suspension System as originally seen on Planar the Ghost. The ‘magic carpet ride’ comes from Spectre’s extra 30% torsional rigidity negating the need for an upper wishbone damper. On straight roads, the system decouple Spectre’s anti-roll bars to prevent the rocking motion from one side of the car hitting an undulation in the road. It makes high-frequency, small, repeated surface defects virtually disappear.

When the system detects a corner, it recouples the components, stiffens the dampers, and activates four-wheel steering. While, sensors monitor 20 different steering, brake, power delivery and suspension parameters, adjusting them each to provide sporty, controlled, effortless handling.

Electric Doors

The 1.5m laser-welded pillarless coach doors are the longest doors ever to grace a Rolls-Royce. The aluminium doors have a power-assisted system that operates on opening as well as closing. They close automatically when the brake pedal is pressed.

A single pull of the interior handle opens the door to ‘comfort position’, to check for hazards. A pull-and-hold opens the door fully. However, when the door has opened as far as the occupant wants, releasing the handle operates the door brake to stop at any other position. The door can be power-closed by pushing of a button on the outside door handle, or manually with power assistance. Sensors allow the doors to operate the same way regardless of hill or driveway angles.

Outside

Spectre takes inspiration from haute couture, modernist sculpture, nautical design, tailoring and contemporary art. Spectre has the widest ever Pantheon grille, with smooth, flush-fitting polished stainless-steel vanes, illuminated by 22 LEDs.

The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine was redesigned for Spectre. It is lower and more aerodynamic, making Spectre the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever. Its signature split headlights refer back to Phantom Coupé.

The sharp, vertical bow refers back to classic motor cars and racing yachts, likewise the lower ‘waft line’.

Colourless tail lamps are set into the largest single Rolls-Royce body panel ever, extending from the A-pillar to the luggage compartment.

Finally, 23-inch wheels are the biggest on a Rolls-Royce in almost 100 years.

The Cabin

Spectre has a cabin that is a graceful and elegant as the beautiful bodywork. Starlight Doors use 4,796 ‘stars’ to create a delicious ambience in the same way that the previous Goodwood models had only on the roof. Owners can also choose Canadel panelling, hand-mdae from a choice of gorgeous timbers.

The ethereal, celestial theme continues the dash fascia which has the Spectre nameplate cradle by clusters of over 5,500 stars. It is on the passenger side of the dashboard, and completely invisible when the car is not in operation.

Using British tailoring history as a guide, the all-new front seats have lapel sections that can be rendered in contrasting or matching colours to the main base.

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