British luxury automotive icon Rolls-Royce has unveiled the marque’s first fully electric car, the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre, billed as the “world’s first Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupe” and the “spiritual successor” to the Phantom Coupe.
Rolls-Royce announced in 2021 that it would transition to a fully electrified product line-up by 2030. At the same time, the company revealed that the Spectre had begun on-road testing. In April of 2022, the Spectre completed its winter testing close to the Arctic Circle.
Finally, with the camouflage removed, Rolls-Royce has debuted the Spectre – the culmination of a century-plus-old prophecy made by one of the marque’s founders, Charles Rolls.
In 1900, Rolls drove an electric car named the Columbia and declared that “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.”
Rolls Royce Spectre specifications
Built on the Rolls-Royce all-aluminium Architecture of Luxury, the Spectre weighs in at just shy of 3,000kg, measuring 5,453mm long and 2,080mm wide. Rear-hinged “coach” doors
Rolls Royce has not yet released all of the figures; final power, acceleration, and range figures are “still being refined.” But, preliminary data published by Rolls-Royce this week suggests the Spectre will have an all-electric range of 520 kilometres (WLTP).
Boasting 900Nm of torque from a 430kW powertrain, it should be able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
The coach doors open to four seats and a night-time theme which includes 5,500 stars inlaid throughout the interior.
The Spectre also boasts Rolls-Royce’s widest-ever grille which bisects the split headlights. An “aero-tuned” Spirit of Ecstasy figurine – itself the result of 830 combined hours of design modelling and wind tunnel testing – leans into the wind, even though the cat offers an impressive drag coefficient of only 0.25cd, making it the most aerodynamic car the marque has ever made.
Bespoke design choices
And, as can be expected from a Rolls-Royce car, there are countless bespoke design choices to be made by those willing to shell out for the Spectre. Rolls-Royce have not provided any specific pricing – saying only that the Spectre will be priced “between Cullinan and Phantom”, which here in Australia means anywhere from $700,000 to $900,000.
Despite this, and for those for whom money is no issue, the Spectre is available for commission immediately, with first deliveries and market launch due in the fourth quarter of 2023.
“Spectre possesses all the qualities that have secured the Rolls-Royce legend,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
“This incredible motor car, conceived from the very beginning as our first fully-electric model, is silent, powerful and demonstrates how perfectly Rolls-Royce is suited to electrification.
“Spectre’s all-electric powertrain will assure the marque’s sustained success and relevance while dramatically increasing the definition of each characteristic that makes a Rolls-Royce a Rolls-Royce.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.