All-Electric Rolls-Royce Spectre Hits The Nurburgring

Sep. 14, 2022 11:25 AM ET by Sebastian Cenizo Spy Shots / 2 Comments

Avoiding excessive body roll is critical to the creation of a great Rolls.

Almost a year ago exactly, Rolls-Royce teased its first-ever electric production vehicle as the Spectre. The name implies an eeriness, and because there won't be any engine noise, a spectral experience is guaranteed. But unlike other mainstream automakers that use their first electric products as a test of the public's reaction to new designs and technology, the Spectre will be very similar to existing V12-powered Rollers, both in execution and in exterior styling. The interior won't be changing much either, which will keep brand loyalists - who are typically very traditional - happy.

We're interested to see what the Spectre will offer, and the Goodwood-based automaker is working hard to ensure an excellent experience. With that in mind, the Spectre EV is now testing on the Nurburgring.

When it comes to cars that the average enthusiast is totally agnostic about, we can't think of many more uninteresting concepts than an electric Rolls-Royce. Sure, electric propulsion has long been heralded by the brand as a fine way of delivering the most luxurious ride possible, and the Spectre will surely offer some clever new technology, but its price puts it far beyond the reach of most people, and in general, most car enthusiasts still detest the idea of electric vehicles on principle. Moreover, these spy shots reveal nothing new besides some strange markings on the huge 23-inch wheels, and the development prototype is still wearing pre-production taillights.

Nevertheless, it's worth remembering that ingenious solutions to ride comfort, torque delivery, and even wheel center cap design can trickle their way down to the BMW 7 Series and from there to other vehicles that are attainable.

Sadly, our photographers have only captured static images, so we can't see how quickly the Spectre was going as it took tours of the Nurburgring, but it does appear to be keeping flat through the corners. If it can stay level at high speed on a race track, it will surely provide an exquisite ride on a regular road, as all Rolls-Royce models must. Earlier this year, we learned that the Spectre will be the most "connected" Rolls yet, using 141,200 sender-receiver relations with over 1,000 electronically controlled functions and more than 25,000 sub-functions. By contrast, the Phantom's figures for the same functions are 51,000, 456, and 647, respectively. Thus, it's safe to say that the Spectre will be the most advanced Rolls ever.

Besides a near-silent driving experience, incredible ride comfort, and oodles of low-down torque, it's also possible that the Spectre will introduce some lifesaving safety technology. In June, CarBuzz discovered a patent for a new technology concerning the rear-hinged/front-opening/suicide doors of a Rolls-Royce. At present, regular Rolls models have a motor in the door hinges to make opening and closing the heavy portals easier, and this new patent aims to combine the feature with a vehicle exit warning. But rather than simply warning occupants of an approaching vehicle, the invention could progressively warn you of the danger by making it more difficult to open a door until the hazard has passed.

Sadly, we still have a long wait before we can confirm any of this, as customer deliveries are only expected to begin late in 2023.