QUANTUM OF SPECTRE

“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. But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable – at least for many years to come.”
The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls, Co-Founder, Rolls-Royce, 1900

In the early 1900s, Charles Rolls, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, predicted the electric future of the motor car. After purchasing an electric vehicle, known as ‘The Columbia Electric Carriage’, he envisaged its potential as a clean and noise-free alternative to the combustion engine – as long as the necessary infrastructure was in place. Now, over 120 years later, it is time for the future of the Rolls-Royce motor car to live up to its founder’s prediction.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai, AGMC unveiled the world’s first ultra-luxury electric super coupé, Spectre, a prophecy fulfilled, a promise kept and an undertaking completed.

Spectre, the world’s most advanced all-electric sports coupé, had completed a historic and one-of-a-kind testing programme spanning 2.5 million kilometres, simulating over 400 years of operation. During the most ambitious development program in Rolls-Royce’s 119-year-long history, the vehicle has been tested in temperatures ranging from minus 40 degrees Celsius to +50 degrees Celsius, and has been subjected to a variety of environments, including arctic snow and ice, deserts, mountain passes and megacities.

“Rolls-Royce Spectre is the start of a bold new chapter for our marque. Silent and powerful, with a contemporary yet timelessly crafted aesthetic, Spectre is the embodiment of the next generation of Rolls-Royce. Spectre leads the world as the first ever ultra-luxury electric super coupé and leads our marque into its bold future, as we prepare to build only electric motor cars by the end of 2030.

The pursuit of perfection lies at the very heart of our great marque; it is our guiding philosophy, and I am extremely excited to be a part of this incredible moment: the launch of Spectre, the most anticipated Rolls-Royce in history, in Dubai.”

César Habib, Regional Director Middle East & Africa, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Spectre marks the start of an exhilarating new era for Rolls Royce Motor Cars, ushering in the all-electric era of the marque. It is a declaration of intent, a fulfillment of a long-standing promise, and a remarkable endeavour. Spectre demonstrates that electrification is the ideal combination for the marque, as it combines the luxury of silence with the strength of character.

“Unrivalled creativity, craftsmanship and engineering sit at the pinnacle of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, coming to life in Spectre. This electric motoring masterpiece perfectly answers a call from the most discerning individuals in the world to elevate the electric motor car experience and with the unveiling of Spectre here in Dubai, we very much look forward to our valued clients immersing themselves in the marque’s electric future.”
Mamdouh Khairallah, General Manager of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai, AGMC

The successor to the iconic Phantom Coupé, the Spectre is a symbol of craftsmanship combined with cutting-edge electric technology, its innovative design reimagining classic iconography. This electric masterpiece draws design inspiration from a variety of sources, including modern luxury yacht designs, as the refined spirit of Ecstasy guides the Spectre forward with grace and poise. It pays homage to its predecessor, the iconic ‘Phantom Coupé’, with generous proportions and a split headlight design – a traditional design feature of modern Rolls-Royces. The uncompromising nature of the Spectre is expressed through its sculptural lines.

The interior suite of the Rolls-Royce Spectre is designed to provide clients with a near infinite range of bespoke options. Drawing inspiration from the British tailoring tradition, the new front seat design features lapel sections which can be rendered in either contrasting or complementary colours to the main bodywork.

As is customary, the inception of the interior suite included consideration of bespoke stitching and embroidery, as well as intricate piping.

The interior of Spectre is enveloped in a soft and inviting leather that evokes a sense of awe and wonder. Drawing inspiration from the night sky, the starlight headliner is a mesmerising display of intricately arranged shooting stars, while the illuminated Fascia is adorned with more than 5,500 illuminated ‘stars’ – a feature that took more than two years to create. For the first time, Starlight doors are available, featuring 4,796 ‘stars’ that are positioned by hand to create a gentle sense of movement within the cabin.

“At Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, perfection is about more than making the very best products. It is a culture, an attitude and our guiding philosophy. Indeed, it is our founding father Sir Henry Royce who said, ‘strive for perfection in everything you do’. Spectre has been conceived within this culture. Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second.
This is the start of a bold new chapter for our marque, our extraordinary clients and the luxury industry. For this reason, I believe Spectre is the most perfect product that Rolls-Royce has ever produced.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

In addition to the gorgeous illuminated surfaces, the new-look Spectre is fitted with a completely reimagined Digital Architecture of luxury known as SPIRIT which is presented in the classic Rolls- Royce style. The digital extension to the Architecture of luxury SPIRIT redefines the way technology and luxury go hand in hand with automotive excellence.

Not only does SPIRIT manage all the functions of the motor car, but it seamlessly integrates into the Whispers application of the marque allowing clients to access their car remotely and receive real-time data curated by the luxury intelligence specialists of the marque.

At the front of the vehicle, the split headlight design is intersected with the most expansive grille ever fitted to a Rolls car. The Pantheon vanes have been redesigned with a smoother section and flusher fit to help direct air around the front of the motor car.

The grille’s relaxed angle and refined stainless steel finish accentuate the presence of the vehicle through environmental reflection. The grille is further enhanced by an aerodynamic figurine, which has been a result of 830 hours of design modeling combined with wind tunnel testing.

With a drag coefficient of only 0.25 cd, the grille of the Rolls car is the most aerodynamic of all time.

Spectre’s fastback is the most striking feature of the silhouette, evoking the most iconic motor vehicles and watercraft of all time. The seamless greenhouse surfacing plays a major role in the vehicle’s lowest drag coefficient to date.

The tail lamps follow the car’s roofline back and are mounted into the largest individual body panel ever made for a Rolls Royce. This panel extends from the rear A-pillar all the way down to the luggage compartments.

The elegant vertical tail lamps are colourless to ensure neutrality, anticipating the multitude of colourways that will be chosen by customers during commissioning.

“Spectre unlocks the extraordinary potential of integrating a fully electric powertrain into our Architecture of Luxury platform. From this engineering starting point, our testing and refinement processes combine empirical data and human experience, intuition and insights acquired over more than a century to refine the motor car’s driving dynamics and character. In coordinating this orchestra of systems with precisely defined responses to driver inputs and road conditions, made possible by the latest software and hardware developments, Spectre delivers the Rolls-Royce experience in exceptionally high definition.”Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, Director of Engineering, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Based on the Architecture of Luxury of Rolls-Royce, which was designed from the outset with electric propulsion in mind, the new Rolls-Royce Spectre is the most potent and aerodynamic of all Rolls-Royce models, with every curve of its body contoured for maximum elegance and performance.

Spectre was subjected to extreme driving conditions during testing. Development of the motor car started just 55km from Arjeplog in Sweden, at temperatures of -40 degrees Celsius, and will continue across South Africa, at temperatures of up to -55 degrees Celsius.

Despite this, 55% of the testing takes place on the same roads that will be used by many production Spectres. The French Riviera was a particularly important location for the development of the vehicle, as it was on the Riviera that the Côte de’Azur saw the digital integration of the iconic Planar suspension system.

“These extraordinary products prompted a huge amount of interest in electric powertrain technology amongst our clients. They considered it as the perfect fit for Rolls-Royce. And, over the past decade, I have been repeatedly asked, ‘When will Rolls-Royce go electric?’ and ‘When will you produce your first electric car?’
“I answered with an unambiguous promise: ‘Rolls-Royce will go electric, starting this decade.’ Today, I’m keeping my word.”

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Incorporating Rolls-Royce’s electric powertrain into the Architecture of Luxury allows for the optimal placement of the battery within the floor plan, and the mechanical setup has been refined through numerous hours of specialist testing (including in Dubai). The combination of the electric powertrain and the planar suspension provides the Rolls-Royce ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ – a driving experience that is sure to leave you in awe.

Due to the relative proportions of the dimensions of the Spectre, Rolls-Royce had to adjust its wheel strategy. For the first time in nearly a century, the production two-door coupe of the Rolls-Royce Spectre is fitted with 23-inch alloy wheels.

The Spectre is set to be the British manufacturer’s heaviest vehicle to date, with an estimated 2975kg in weight. To address this issue, the company has created an electric platform, known as the ‘Rolls-Royce’ 3.0, which is designed to be 30% stiffer than previous models, thanks to the incorporation of extruded aluminum sections. Additionally, the battery is incorporated into the car’s structure, resulting in increased rigidity.

The final specifications of power, acceleration, and range are still to be determined, as the remarkable project of finalizing the Spectre enters its penultimate phase prior to its completion in Q2 2023. Early indications suggest that the all-electric variant of the vehicle is expected to offer a 320 mile/520 kilometre WLTP range, with a 430 kW powertrain providing 900 Nm of torque. It is expected to reach 0-60 mph (0-60 km/h) in under four seconds, and 0-100 km/h (0-60 mph) in four and a half seconds.

The imposing fastback provides an immersive driving experience – setting the standard for our future all-electric future and redefining the way Rolls-Royce innovates.

At its core, the Spectre is not only an engineering masterpiece, but it is also designed to provide clients with a genuine, super-luxurious experience, as is the case with all Rolls-Royces.