The age of twelve cylinders and combustion engines is also coming to an end at Rolls-Royce. However, the electrification that has now begun will not change anything in terms of appearance and the luxury claim. The well-known radiator grille, for example, is retained.
The British luxury car manufacturer Rolls-Royce will be whispering into the electric age in the coming year. Around a year before the market launch, the British presented their first battery-powered model, the fastback coupé Spectre.
While the drive represents a revolution, the design continues to evolve. At 5.45 meters, the two-door is as expansive as usual. At the front there is the classic radiator grille with a slightly modernized sculpture, flanked by two narrow headlights, at the rear there are vertical lights as usual and a lot of luxury in wood and leather on the inside. Large, rear-hinged portals give access to the four seats.
When it comes to the drive, the almost three-ton Brit is comparatively modest. With 430 kW/585 hp, the all-wheel-drive vehicle places itself between the brand's various twelve-cylinder petrol engines in terms of performance. The Rolls-Royce only just overtakes the technically related BMW i7. With a range of 520 kilometers, it is again behind the Munich counterpart. The energy is stored in a 100 kWh battery.
In terms of prestige and price, the Rolls-Royce Specter sorts itself between the SUV Cullinan and the big flagship sedan Phantom. The British have not yet given an exact course, but around 400,000 euros are likely to be due. For BMW's luxury subsidiary, the Specter is the first in a series of e-models. The entire portfolio should be battery-powered by 2030, including a sedan, a convertible and an SUV.
As early as 2011, Rolls-Royce showed its Concept 102EX with an electric drive, it started as a kind of market research project - with, according to brand boss Torsten Müller-Ötvös in April 2012, "very ambivalent results: on the one hand, one appreciates the remarkable acceleration and the noise level, on the other hand, neither loading times nor range acceptable." It was therefore shelved at the time.
A lot has happened since then, and now Rolls-Royce is drawing a line under the combustion engine chapter. From 2030, the brand will only sell electric cars, Müller-Ötvös announced in September 2021: "A historic step".
