No More V12 Engines

Its split headlights, ultra-slim upper headlights, and far shorter Pantheon grille are all drastically different than the Wraith’s. However, in profile and from the rear, the Spectre looks like an updated, sharper, sleeker version of the Wraith. There are some nice unique touches, though. For instance, the shoulder line is crisp and looks sporty, its window trim is sharp, and its front end seems to be a bit shorter and lower, due to not having a V12 under hood.

The new Spectre is built on the brand’s all-aluminum Architecture of Luxury platform. It’s a flexible platform, designed to accommodate either internal combustion or electric powertrains, and it’s both lightweight and stiff. In fact, due to the battery tray being integrated into the floor of the chassis, the Spectre is 30 percent stiffer than any previous Rolls-Royce. Interestingly, the battery also acts as 700 kg of sound insulation, making the car even quieter inside.

Replacing the old 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 is a pair of electric motors. Rolls doesn’t have any official power figures just yet, as the powertrain is still being refined. However, the current prediction from Rolls is that the Spectre will make 577 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. The initial performance estimate is a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds.

260 Miles Range

But the important bit is range. How will customers respond to have a bit less convenience with the Spectre than any other previous Rolls? Its battery pack should provide around 260 miles of range, which isn’t horrible but it isn’t great, either. That range estimate is with 23-inch wheels and with its 6,559 lb curb weight. Will Rolls customers being okay with being on a 130 mile leash, lest they wait 30 minutes to charge up in public? It’s going to be interesting to see how customers handle this. 

Like with the new Ghost, the Spectre will have Rolls’ Planar suspension setup, which can read the road ahead and prepare the suspension for bumps ahead of time. It can also decouple the anti-roll bars, which allows the wheels to move independently of each other. Not only does that remove the twitchiness of stiff anti-roll bars on the highway but it also improves ride quality.

Rolls-Royce says it’s still testing the powertrain to get its power figures and refinement finalized. Though, don’t expect to see any definitive answers any time soon. Rolls claims it will have official figures before its market launch in Q4 2023. 

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In these shots, you can see a bit more of the digital gauge cluster than before and it’s quite a bit different than those that you’ll find in the rest of Rolls’ lineup. There seem to be two main digital dials, a speedo and the classic Rolls-Royce power reserve. .

The rest of the cabin is pretty typically Rolls. That’s no bad thing, obviously. Every Rolls-Royce is a masterclass in interior material quality, so seeing most of its corporate cabin inside the Spectre isn’t too concerning. We’re all still in the dark about battery size/capacity, powertrain layout, powertrain specs, and range, when it comes to the Rolls-Royce Spectre.

We’re excited about the Spectre because Rolls-Royce is the perfect brand for electrification. Electric powertrains are whisper quiet, effortlessly torquey, and infinitely smoother than even the smoothest of internal combustion powertrains. Perfect for car like a Rolls-Royce, then. Some old-school purists might scoff at the idea of anything other than a V12 powering a Roller, and there will be some customers who find its charge times to be inconvenient, but there’s no denying that a Rolls is probably better as an EV than with a piston engine. So the Spectre is going to be an incredibly interesting and exciting new car.

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On and Off Track Testing

The first half of its French testing session took place at the Autodrome de Miramas proving ground. The former site of the 1926 Grand Prix, Mirimas is now a high-tech test facility for BMW Group, with 60 kilometers of tracks and closed road courses. There’s 3.1 mile high-speed bowl, handling circuits with tricky cambers and tight corners, and even sections with standing water, all to test the Spectre’s handling, speed, and durability.

Next, Rolls-Royce Spectre is going to spend the rest of its time in France driving through the stunning Provençal countryside. About 55-percent of the Spectre’s testing will take place on the very roads where many of its customers will be driving.

Rolls-Royce isn’t just testing its ride, comfort, cabin noise, powertrain, and range. It’s doing those too but it’s also focusing on the all-new, highly-advanced systems in the Spectre. Not only is the Spectre Rolls’ first electric car, it’s also the most high-tech car the brand has ever made. There are more than 1,000 computing functions, with 25,000 subfunctions, all of which make the Spectre the most digitally complex Rolls in history.

The chassis of the Spectre is stiffer than on any other Roller, it has an advanced electronically controlled roll-stabilization system, the latest Flagbearer suspension system, and active anti-roll boars. The first of which keeps the car nice and flat through corners, so passengers aren’t sloshed around in the back seat. The Flagbearer system uses sensors, cameras, and navigation information to detect bumps in the road and turns up ahead, before the car even reaches them, and it pre-load the suspension. And the active anti-roll bars decouple on straight roads, which not only allows more wheel travel over bumps but it also prevents bumps on one side of the car from affecting the other side.

0.25 Coefficient of Drag

The Spectre is also the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever made. Being an electric car, it needs to be as absolutely efficient as possible, which means it needs the most efficient aero as possible. Thanks to its testing at Mirimas, and the tweaks that came from lessons learned there, the Rolls-Royce Spectre has a coefficient of drag of 0.25, which is great for such a big, brick-like car.

Customers will take delivery in Q4 of 2023.

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The BMW-owned marque is going to great lengths to make the Spectre as aerodynamic as possible by even tweaking the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy. The superb figurine adorning all Rolls-Royce models is being redesigned for the new EV to improve airflow as much as possible. While the current statuette stands 100.01 millimeters tall, the new one shown here will be reduced in height to only 82.73 mm.

Even the robes of the Spirit of Ecstasy will have a different shape to not only boost aero but also make them look more realistic. By far the biggest visual change is the stance as the hood ornament will no longer keep her feet together since one leg will be positioned forward. The idea behind this change is to give the impression of “a true goddess of speed, braced for the wind.”

No two Spirit of Ecstasy statuettes will be identical since each will be finished by hand. For the new Spectre electric coupe, her body will be tucked low and her eyes are going to be focused “eagerly ahead.” During the process of redesigning the opulent badge, Rolls-Royce consulted stylists to perfect not only the clothes and posture but also her hair and expression.

Riding on Rolls-Royce’s own Architecture of Luxury platform, the 2024 Spectre is said to get the dual electric motors from the iX M60. As a refresher, BMW’s flagship electric SUV boasts 619 horsepower and up to 1,100 Newton-meters (811 pound-feet) of torque. The iX M60 is equipped with a larger 111.5-kWh battery pack that might be shared with the Spectre, but that remains to be seen.

Since Rolls-Royce’s inaugural EV won’t be launched until the end of next year, prepare for a lot more teasers in the coming months.

Source: Rolls-Royce

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Ian Grant mentions this early demand has been “very pleasing,” despite the fact Rolls-Royce hasn’t even announced pricing details. However, an educated guess tells us it will command a premium over the V12-powered Wraith coupe. Customers are making deposits via a newly added EV section on the Whispers smartphone app available only for RR owners. In other words, those who have expressed their interest in owning the Spectre already have one of the company’s gasoline cars.

Most Rolls-Royce owners in Australia choose to drive themselves, according to Ian Grant. It’s the main reason why the Spectre is proving to be an early success as buyers want near-instant power delivery. Grant went on to say the company’s first electric car will represent a daily driver for many clients eager to enjoy the immediately available full torque.

Spectre will lead the way for an all-EV lineup by the end of the decade

The luxury brand says Spectre owners will receive assistance to charge their EVs by having access to some stations. Rolls-Royce Australia will make the first deliveries shortly after the world premiere late next year. As with previous product launches Down Under, cars might be flow in to cut the waiting times.

On a related note, Ian Grant said he hasn’t heard any criticism towards Rolls-Royce following the company’s decision to go EV-only from 2030. In addition, the typical wealthy clientele is not rushing for now to own one of the current gasoline models.

Already confirmed to get the Black Badge treatment, the Spectre is rumored to get the potent dual-motor setup from the iX M60. The first electric M SUV packs 610 horsepower and a colossal 1,100 Newton-meters (811 pound-feet) when launch control is active. BMW has rated the iX M60 at 532 hp and 1,016 Nm (749 lb-ft) in normal mode.

[Source: Car Sales]

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The man in charge at Goodwood explains “a coupe is very emotional and for us, it was very important that we make a statement.” While we usually associate Rolls-Royce with an older clientele, Mueller-Oetvoes says the British ultra-luxury brand has the youngest customer demographic among all BMW Group brands – including MINI – as the average RR buyer is 43 years old.

It is worth noting the Spectre will act as an indirect replacement to the Wraith, which has been pulled out of the US market because of more stringent emissions law. The coupe introduced in 2013 is one of the last models to ride on a BMW-sourced platform, along with its convertible counterpart – the Dawn. It’s too soon to say whether the Spectre will spawn a version with a folding top, but it seems very likely.

Technical details remain shrouded in mystery, with Mueller-Oetvoes only saying the range provided by the battery pack will be “sufficient.” He provided a similar answer regarding the Spectre’s power, so we don’t have any concrete details about the EV aside from the fact it will share the same platform as the latest Ghost and Phantom. The two sedans ride on the Rolls-Royce bespoke Architecture of Luxury that has also underpinned the Cullinan SUV.

Rolls-Royce’’s head honcho says the Spectre will not only “look very different” than the outgoing Wraith, but it will also feel “very different.” He went on to specify replacements for current models will switch to EV power and in eight years from now, there aren’t going to be any V12 models left. However, RR is not done with new combustion-engined models as there are still at least one on the way, claims Automotive News Europe citing sources familiar with the matter.

Source: Automotive News Europe

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However, the 2024 Spectre will be an entirely different car despite its familiar appearance. While the Wraith sits on a BMW platform shared with the 7 Series, the all-new EV will use the same underpinnings as the newest Ghost and Phantom, which ride on the Luxury of Architecture that has been the foundation for the Cullinan SUV as well. In other words, Spectre won’t be related to a BMW model as it’s being developed as a bespoke RR product.

Technical specifications remain shrouded in mystery for the time being, but we do know prototypes will soon embark on a grueling testing procedure by covering a whopping two and a half million kilometers. That’s 1.55 million miles, which Rolls-Royce claims is the equivalent of driving one of its cars for no fewer than 400 years.

Some might argue that using the Luxury of Architecture is a bit of a compromise seeing as how all three vehicles underpinned by this platform have combustion engines. However, Rolls-Royce claims the architecture has been conceived from day one with electrification in mind, meaning there shouldn’t be major differences compared to dedicated EVs.

Rolls-Royce is no stranger to electric vehicles, having developed the spectacular 103EX concept in 2016 and the Phantom-based 102EX back in 2011. Those two never materialized as production models, but the Spectre is happening and it’s only about two years away from hitting the market. It remains to be seen whether it will replace the Wraith or will be an addition to the existing lineup.

The former scenario makes more sense as the Wraith is getting a bit long in the tooth, having been launched all the way back in 2013. If there won’t be a next-gen Wraith with a V12, it would be logical for RR to advertise the Spectre as its natural successor. Considering the Luxury of Architecture is for both ICE and EV models, perhaps the Wraith replacement will offer the best of both worlds.

Source: Rolls-Royce

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