FIRST DRIVE | All-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre is an unreal experience

It’s not often that Rolls-Royce debuts an all-new model. The brand’s products tend to have long lifespans. However, the Spectre is all-new from the ground up. And, more importantly, it is the company’s very first all-electric model. 

It seems fitting that the British luxury carmaker is heading down Electric Avenue (apologies to Eddy Grant) as one of the company’s founders, Charles Rolls, made a prescient comment in 1900: “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.” 

But what exactly was the ‘ultra-luxury electric super coupé’, so called by company CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös, doing in South Africa? Well, the Spectre is undergoing the most intensive development programme of any Rolls in history. Fifty development units will cover 2.5-million kilometres when all is said and done. 

The schedule includes the icy climes of the Arctic, the Mediterranean air of the French Riviera, the searing temperatures of the Northern Cape and most places and weather in between. The programme is in its final phase, with 20% left to complete before customers take delivery towards Q4 of this year. 

It is just after the engineering team spent a few days in the Augrabies area that I met them at the luxurious Leeu Estates in Franschhoek, just outside Cape Town. Our ride for the day was devoid of any camouflage. Its appearance has been public since the end of 2022 when the car was officially unveiled.

The Spectre has clean lines, evident in pics, and even more so in person. There is very little clutter or detail on the surfaces. In part, this helps make it the most aerodynamic Rolls of all time with a Cd figure of 0.25. What isn’t evident in images is the sheer scale of the Spectre. It is nearly 5.5m long and over 2m wide. It’s also nearly as tall as I am, though I am no beanpole. 

Other pertinent information was also revealed at the time of its initial presentation. Rolls-Royce’s preliminary information says it will have 430kW of power and 900Nm of torque. A driving range figure north of 500km is also mentioned. However, these figures could change before series production begins. 

Feeling princely in a near-priceless prototype

Unlike many other brands, Rolls-Royce usually never lets outsiders near its vehicles before they are production-ready. The team overseeing the event informed me that I am just the tenth person in the world (outside RR staff) to drive the Spectre ... no pressure then. 

Leaving Leeu Estates gives me a chance to quickly familiarise myself with the sheer size of the Spectre. It feels very much like a Rolls should. There is a heft and confidence that I recall from my last experience of an RR. I carefully thread the coupé through the access roads until we pop out on the main drag of the “French Quarter”. 

We have two escort vehicles, one ahead and one aft, to “clear the path”. I feel quite princely, or at very least know how the president feels bombing down the M1. Seated alongside is Spectre project leader Joerg Wunder, and this “near priceless” prototype is very much his baby. 

We head for Franschhoek Pass on a day that feels like the middle of winter in mid-January. Clouds cover the pass and the surface is greasy. But we are completely cocooned from the world outside. The 700kg battery sandwiched into the floor removes almost all road noise, and the slippery shape means wind flowing over the body is also near silent.

When the chance arrives, I mash the “loud” pedal into the plush carpet. The Spectre surges forward in the most dignified and silent manner. We are definitely moving at a rate of knots, but all my senses, bar the passing scenery, don’t register the gain in speed. 

I comment to my co-pilot about the power delivery, which isn’t quite the same thump in the back we are used to with electric vehicles (EVs), Dr Wunder is quick to point out: “This is no headbanger. Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second.” Noted.

The twists and turns and turns of this ribbon of tar are admirably dispatched by a car that weighs nearly three tonnes. Road imperfections are ironed out by the active air suspension. The all-wheel-drive (AWD) and four-wheel steering systems also provide a high degree of confidence and manoeuvrability in these less-than-ideal conditions. 

This Spectre unit feels very much as though it is production ready. I am pretty sure that almost anyone who drives it will agree with me. However, the relentless pursuit of excellence by Rolls-Royce means the company still feels it has a while to go before they are happy to hand it over to clients. If this is how good it feels now, I can’t imagine what the finished product will be like.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.