Rolls-Royce has announced Spectre, the marque’s first fully-electric motor car. The world’s first ultra-luxury electric super coupe is the spiritual successor to Phantom Coupe, and we will see it in the flesh very soon - first batches of customer cars will be delivered in Q4 2023. Here are 7 reasons why Spectre deserves to kick-start Rolls Royce’s all-electric era:

Visual inspiration

Rolls-Royce calls Spectre an ultra-luxury electric super coupe. And it definitely looks the part with a fastback styling. Inspiration is drawn from worlds far beyond automotive, including haute couture, modernist sculpture, nautical design, tailoring and contemporary art.

Vast personalisation possibilities

With Spectre, Rolls-Royce has introduced a “Decentralised Intelligence” system that allows for free and direct exchange of information between more than 1,000 vehicle functions. A customer’s Bespoke vision can be realised, limited only by one’s wildest imagination.

Dynamically refined

The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine is the product of 830 combined hours of design modelling and wind tunnel testing. Along with the more aerodynamic Pantheon grille that keeps Spectre’s drag coefficient (Cd) at only 0.25, it is Rolls-Royce’s most aerodynamic motor car. Bentley’s Continental GT Speed has a claimed Cd of 0.29.

At your command

Spectre is equipped with a digital architecture of luxury named SPIRIT, which manages the motor car’s functions and integrates into the marque’s Whispers application, allowing clients to interact with their car remotely and receive live information.

Precise packaging

Aluminium sections and integration of the battery into the structure of Spectre enable it to be 30% stiffer than any previous Rolls-Royce. A channel has been created for wiring and climate control pipework between the battery and the floor, with the battery mounted underneath, providing a smooth underfloor profile. This creates a lower, more snug seating position and enveloping cabin, and also supplies almost 700kg of sound deadening.

Magic carpet ride, amplified

Using new hardware components and leveraging Spectre’s high-speed processing capabilities, its “Planar” suspension system can decouple the car’s anti-roll bars allowing each wheel to act independently, preventing rocking motions over undulating surfaces.

Acing the numbers game

Although figures are still being finalised, Spectre is expected to produce 577bhp and 900Nm, and have an all-electric range of 520km (WLTP). 0 - 100km/h arrives in 4.5 seconds - impressive for one that weighs just under 3 tonnes.