Ghostly silent all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre appears for the first time

Confirming a move towards wholly electric propulsion before 2030 like parent company BMW and sister BMW Group brand Mini, Rolls-Royce has taken the wraps off of its first ever fully EV attempt, the Spectre that will be going on sale next year.

On course to arrive 123 years after the brand’s co-founder, Charles Rolls, reportedly hinted at the possibility of a electric vehicles becoming the norm in the future, the Spectre, in the same mould as the Phantom, adopts its name not only from a ghost as opposed to the James Bond film of the same name, but also the lack of noise attributed to the electric powerunit in this instance.

Appearing almost similar to the Wraith, the coupe only Spectre measures 5 453 mm long and 3 210 mm in the wheelbase department, while standing 1 559 mm tall and measuring 2 080 mm in overall width.

Defined by Rolls-Royce as having created a new category of vehicles, namely the ultra-luxury electric super coupé, the Spectre differs incrementally from the Wraith on the outside by virtue of a lower mounted grille, a thin LED split headlight arrangement and a so-called “aerodynamically enhanced” Spirit of Ecstasy that took a reported 830 hours to make.

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Mounted on 22-inch wheels or a Rolls-Royce first 23-inch alloys available as an option, the fastback-styled Spectre’s main difference from the Wraith is the grille itself that lightens up thanks to 22 LEDs in a “soft and gentle” glow.

At the rear, only the taillights have been altered from the Wraith and the exhaust outlets removed from the flanks of the diffuser integrated underneath the bumper.

Made out of aluminium as per the Architecture of Luxury that debuted with current second generation Phantom in 2017, but redesigned to accommodate the electric hardware, the Spectre retains the suicide-opening doors and Gallery dashboard the Ghost also features, along with the option of LEDs imprinted into doors and roof to provide a space-like experience.

The illuminations further stretch to the dashboard, which boasts a Spectre badge on the passenger’s side surround by 5 500 “stars” Rolls-Royce says took two years and 10 000 hours to develop fully.

At the same time, the seats are unique to the Spectre, along with a revised four-wheel-steering system and Planer Suspension derived from the Ghost.

While Rolls-Royce didn’t divulged any further details of the interior or the Spectre’s underpinnings, it did confirm outputs of 430kW/900Nm from what is believed to be a 100-kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

Despite weighing 2 975 kg, the Spectre will get from 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and waft a distance of 520 km between trips to the plug. In typical Rolls-Royce fashion, no top speed figure was revealed.

Commencing delivers in the final quarter of next year, the Spectre, unlike the Ghost, Cullinan and Phantom is not expected to form part of Rolls-Royce’s local line-up anytime soon.