Author: Rezz
On the evening of October 18th, Rolls-Royce officially debuted its first all-electric production car, the Spectre, which Rolls-Royce calls the world’s first ultra-luxury electric super coupe, opening a new chapter in the history of the Rolls-Royce brand.
The Chinese name for the Spectre reminded me of the famous horror movie “The Shining,” and it took me a moment to connect the English name, Spectre, to its association with the naming conventions set forth by Rolls-Royce’s predecessors, such as Phantom, Ghost, and Wraith, which evoke a mysterious yet enticing feel.
As a spiritual continuation and embodiment of Rolls-Royce’s Phantom Drophead Coupe and the all-electric concept 102 EX, the Spectre maintains the family design style while representing the most innovative use of EV technology in this 116-year-old luxury car manufacturing history.
In fact, as early as 122 years ago in the year of 1900, Sir Charles Rolls, the founder of Rolls-Royce, described electric cars with the following words: “Electric vehicles are a perfect, noise-free, and clean mode of transportation with no gasoline smell or vibration. As long as we can set up charging stations, it will be a very beneficial car.”
## First a Rolls-Royce, then a pure electric car
Yes, at first glance, this Phantom-like sedan still maintains the Rolls-Royce design style since entering the 21st century, leaving no room for criticism from any angle. The chief engineer of Rolls-Royce once said that if the first electric Rolls-Royce was an SUV, the difficulty would be greatly reduced, but SUV is not the most luxurious expression of the Rolls-Royce brand. Therefore, this car, named “Spectre,” is not an SUV, nor a luxurious sedan like the Ghost. It is a two-door, four-seat GT sports car.
Although it is a two-door sports car, its size and wheelbase are longer and wider than many extended D-class sedans, with a length of 5453mm, a width of 2080mm, a height of 1559mm, and a wheelbase of 3210mm, which is bigger and wider than Rolls-Royce’s flagship sedan, the Phantom, with a width of 2018mm. The complex wiring and special silent treatment for the battery make the battery pack of this car weigh 700 kilograms, and the curb weight of the entire car is an astonishing 2975kg.
This grandiose size and presence are an unabashed expression of luxury, and the size of the entire car does not need to bow to any other Rolls-Royce model. It is definitely the most expensive electric car. Even the exterior and interior colors of the Spectre are a combination of shining gold and elegant black.
From the performance perspective (preliminary data, subject to the official release when the vehicle is still undergoing testing and set to be launched in Q4 next year):
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Maximum output power: 430 kW (585 hp)
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Peak torque: 900 N·m
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0-100 km/h acceleration time: 4.4 seconds
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Range: 585 km (CLTC cycle)
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Top speed: 250 km/h
Even with the four-wheel steering system, the turning radius of this Black Badge is as low as 12.8 meters, making it the Rolls-Royce car with the lowest drag coefficient in history, although its appearance still looks magnificent, solemn and respectful to the traditional taste of previous Rolls-Royce owners, compared to the more futuristic Bentley EXP 100 GT concept car.
However, there are also innovations and subversions in the exterior design of this Black Badge, for example, the vehicle provides newly designed 3D-machined stainless steel wheels with triangular stylings, which is the first time in a century that Rolls-Royce has provided 23-inch wheels for a mass-produced two-door coupé.
In the interior, the subversion of tradition is also evident – as Rolls-Royce’s first model with a digital full LCD instrument panel, it is unbelievable for a brand like Rolls-Royce in the past, but it also coincides with the transformative nature of this Black Badge as an electric vehicle.It is worth mentioning that the Ghost, the first Rolls-Royce model to feature the Starlight Doors design, which, in layman’s terms, places the starry night sky previously hauntingly dreamed by Rolls-Royce on two massive doors adorned with 4,796 LED stars, echoes the name “Wraith” of the car.
Losing the power of V12 is not a pity
There is a sentence in the lyrics of Teresa Teng’s “I Only Care About You” that fits this pure electric Rolls-Royce perfectly: “It’s not a pity to lose the power of life.”
The vitality of a fuel car comes largely from the engine under the hood, especially the 6.75-liter V12 engine that Rolls-Royce once boasted about, but this patent was before Rolls-Royce and Bentley split. In the 21st century, Rolls-Royce has been jointly developing a brand new V12 engine with BMW, which has been applied to the Ghost, Phantom, Wraith, Dawn, and most recently, the Cullinan.
So I said it’s not a pity that Rolls-Royce is introducing a pure electric car without a V12. When Rolls-Royce and Bentley split, the patent rights to the traditional 6.75-liter engine were given to Bentley, while BMW only has the patent right to use the temple-like shape of the Paternongoddess.The first car launched by BMW after its acquisition of Rolls-Royce, the limited edition luxury sedan BMW L7, began the development of the new V12 engine with the codename M73TUB54. It partnered with Rolls-Royce to share technological advancements, which has continued to its latest engine technology today.
For elegant Rolls-Royce owners, the reason why they want to abandon small displacement fuel engines is due to their desire for a noiseless driving experience, which perfectly aligns with the mission and style of a pure electric vehicle. The new Rolls-Royce model, Ghost, not only takes the first step for Rolls-Royce, but also continues to maintain the calm bloodline that runs throughout this ultra-luxury brand.
In fact, these types of ultra-luxury brands are best suited for electrification, because their past cars have always been quiet and smooth. Even if they lose faith and power in their engines, they can rebuild their faith in the age of electrification.
As for pricing, the official statement indicates that the future price of the Ghost will be between the Cullinan and Phantom. In the UK, the Cullinan is priced at 250,000 pounds, while the Phantom starts at 330,000 pounds. In the US, the Cullinan starts at $350,000 and the Phantom starts at $460,000 or more. Therefore, my guess is that this brand new, all-electric Rolls-Royce will be sold at a price of around $400,000.>十年磨一剑，闪灵领先十年，劳斯莱斯终于推出了首款纯电动轿跑车型，它的定价仅次于幻影，高于库里南。这款车历经了十年精心打磨和不断测试改进，才敢于推出。劳斯莱斯对于进入这个还未完全开发的超豪华纯电动车领域信心满满，并早已制定好抢占这一细分市场的计划。此外，闪灵率先发布，并在 2023 年第四季度就能上市交付。与其老对手宾利相比，劳斯莱斯更早步入电动化之路，因此在推出纯电车型方面领先了宾利。
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在超豪华 SUV 市场方面，劳斯莱斯曾在 2018 年发布了库里南，可很快就被宾利添越在 2015 年发布的车型赶超。此次推出闪灵的经历给劳斯莱斯敲响了警钟，因此该公司不断融入新技术并追加投资，来确保闪灵能够经受住世界上最为挑剔的劳斯莱斯客户的审查。这款车经过了 400 万公里的严苛道路测试，同时模拟使用期限达到了 400 年。
以下是两张图片：
> “This is the beginning of a very bold new chapter for our brand, our extraordinary customers, and the luxury industry. Because I believe the Spirit of Ecstasy is the most perfect product ever crafted by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.” – CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Torsten Müller-Ötvös
Because of the relentless pursuit of the perfect combination of pure electric and Rolls-Royce spirit, Rolls-Royce customers still believe in and trust the brand as always. Even before its global debut, the reservation list for the new car, named Ghost, was getting longer and longer. Rolls-Royce predicts that Ghost’s first full year of sales will account for 20% of the company’s total sales.
Surprisingly, Rolls-Royce knows that its typical owners are now the youngest among all super luxury brands, so would it be easier for them to accept the brand’s new pure electric offering?
Summary
Finally, the only remaining question is how to solve the problem of fixed charging stations worldwide, in order to realize the vision of Sir Charles Rolls. This question can only be answered when Ghost is officially launched next year.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.