Luxurious four-seat coupé is Rolls-Royce’s first step into the world of electric motoring On sale Late 2023 Price from £275,000 (est)
Ayisha Gharu Ayisha.Gharu@haymarket.com
IN JAMES BOND movies, SPECTRE is forever trying to destroy the world. By contrast, the new Rolls-Royce Spectre is on a mission to help save it (from exhaust emissions, anyway), because it’s the luxury brand’s first electric car.
The two-door coupé will be positioned above the conventionally powered Wraith in the Rolls-Royce range, and is officially capable of accelerating from 0-62mph in just 4.5sec and covering 323 miles on a charge.
Those figures are all the more impressive when you consider that it’s the brand’s heaviest model. At 2975kg, the Spectre even outweighs the enormous Cullinan SUV. A lot of that is down to the 125kWh battery – one of the biggest in any production model – and 700kg of sound-deadening material, designed to ensure the absence of engine noise doesn’t make you more aware of wind and road roar.
As for the exterior, there’s a reshaped Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet mascot that is said to be more aerodynamically efficient, but most of the elements are familiar, including the huge, illuminated front grille, bonnet and roof in a contrasting colour, and rear-hinged doors.
That’s not to say the Spectre is built using hand-me-down parts from other Rolls-Royce models or parent company BMW, though.The underpinnings, for example, are all new.
Likewise, while the interior looks superficially similar to that of the Wraith,
