Driving report: Rolls-Royce Specter
Farewell to the elite dozen
Rolls Royce Spectre
© press-inform – the press office
For decades, Rolls-Royce not only stood for the most exclusive cars in the world and spectacular customization, but also for an almost silent drive with twelve cylinders. But that will soon be over. The luxury coupé Specter lets the British float into a new electric age. Very different and yet typically Goodwood.
For a century, twelve-cylinder engines have generally been regarded as the pinnacle of global engine design, and so has it Rolls-Royce has long equipped its exclusive vehicles with a dozen combustion chambers. These not only ensured a superior drive, but also smooth running that set standards for decades. Performance and sovereignty remain, but the Specter is the first Rolls-Royce to replace its high-tech V12 combustion engine with the latest electric motors. The result of the electric drive is no less unique than the design of the 5.47 meter long beau. “It is a highlight of my professional life to have developed the Rolls-Royce Specter – the automobile that catapults Rolls-Royce into its bold, electric future,” says Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, Technical Director at Rolls-Royce, “Rolls-Royce Specter brings the future of this great brand to the present.”
Farewell to the elite dozen
The electric drive in itself is one thing, but like its ancestors, the two-door coupé is a real show even independently of its two electric motors on the front and rear axles. Similar to the Wraith, the British implement their idea of a luxury coupe as a never-ending fastback – with grandiose forms, gigantic doors and a uniquely styled rear. The design was adapted to the increased aerodynamic requirements of an electric car. The British all-wheel drive shines with an impressive cd value of 0.25, which has its corresponding share of driving performance and, in particular, the low noise level at whisper level. The number says it all, the Specter has the internal designation RR25.
You will look in vain for a silky smooth twelve-cylinder and no one will miss it, because two electric motors with 190 kW / 365 Nm and 360 kW / 710 Nm work almost silently on the front and rear axles, which ultimately means a total output of 430 kW / 584 hp and a maximum torque of 900 Nm. However, the drive package is easily enough for a top speed of 250 km/h and an image spurt from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds. The engine power is more than sufficient for relaxed propulsion and superior driving performance. Even if one or the other elitist customer would have expected a higher performance yield in such a coupe creation of this league, he will revise his opinion when he was on the road with the Specter. The driving experience of the Specter is just as typical Rolls-Royce as the design – decoupled, luxurious and simply spectacular. The chassis as a symbiosis of air springs, electronic dampers, all-wheel drive and appropriate steering allows the vehicle and its occupants to float above all imponderables of everyday life. The steering is smooth and precise – typically Rolls-Royce.
Not entirely unimportant when addressing customers: the Specter will not have a real competitor in the foreseeable future. Anyone who doubted that a luxury vehicle from Rolls-Royce could do without the silky dozen cylinders under the long bonnet will see a better lesson. The powerful development of power is simply not noticeable and so the electric all-wheel drive vehicle pushes so perfectly that one could hardly have imagined it. However, what the driver behind the wheel also notices is the enormous weight of 2.9 tons and the low center of gravity. The battery pack in the underbody, weighing 700 kilograms, is an integral part of the vehicle construction and thus ensures stability, torsion resistance and noise insulation in equal measure. With its 102 kWh, the batteries are sufficient for distances of 530 kilometers until the next charging stop. The maximum charging speed of 195 kilowatts is unlikely to interest customers, nor is the standard consumption of 22.2 kWh / 100 kilometers. “Our customers enjoy not having to drive to a gas station and being able to charge the Specter at home,” adds Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. You can understand it all too well.
Inside, the Specter, which costs at least 389,000 euros, is typical Rolls-Royce, perfectly finished and uniquely individualized on request. Previously only the starry sky was perfectly illuminated by Ghost and Phantom, but in the new electric coupé 4,796 glowing LED stars in the so-called Starlight Doors create a unique atmosphere. More stellar bodies alone surround the Specter signet on the inside. More luxury on four 23-inch wheels is probably not possible – the Specter is modern at the front and rear, but remains just as true to its brand DNA with a rotary pushbutton on the center console or an analogue clock as it is to the slightly historical look that is so celebrated by customers climate control. Not only does it feel great in the front of the leather-covered comfort seats in the new Goodwood electric coupé, because tall people can also sit comfortably in the back, enjoying separate air conditioning, seat heating or retractable side windows when they go to the opera or to dinner with friends in the evening. The Specter shows impressively that you can do without a V12 in such a noble coupé and replace it with an electric drive – if it works as perfectly as in the new Rolls-Royce. No wonder the waiting list is long – well into 2025, with the first models hitting the streets at the end of the year.