The electric coupe is imposing.
Rolls-Royce has pledged to get rid of the internal combustion engine by 2020. With the launch of the Spectre, the ultra-luxury Goodwood brand will transition to an electric vehicle in a few years. Our spies have now captured the zero-emissions coupe, which was originally teased at September’s end.
Although it looks a lot like the Wraith prototype, it is technically a completely different vehicle. It’s not built on the BMW platform, as it is with the V12-powered coupe. Instead, it’s based on Rolls-Royce (and pompously named) “Architecture of Luxury”, which was shared with the Ghost, Phantom and the Cullinan SUV.
The Wraith’s rear-hinged suicide doors are still present, but it has a more prominent coupe silhouette and steeper roofline. It also features a smaller quarter window. The model is electric-only and the overhangs are so long because it doesn’t ride on an EV platform. The same will be true for the BMW i7 electric sedan .
The Spectre will have a split headlight design in order to match the next 7 Series, X7 facelift and the production-ready XM UTV – all of these are due 2022. Two cutouts are visible in the camouflage for the upper daytime running lamps. One of the spy shots is close-up. We are reminded of the Concept XM, where the main headlights are located lower on the bumper.
RR promised to keep the imposing grille intact even on electric vehicles . This prototype shows that it is living up to this promise. The back of the prototype gives the illusion that the taillights are vertically placed. However, the bulge in the fenders around the LEDs can deceive. This leads us to believe that the rear lights are larger than we can see.
Although technical specifications are still unknown, we have heard that Spectre will use the same system as the BMW iX M60. Bavaria’s second M vehicle, the i4 M50, will be unveiled next week at CES in Las Vegas. It features all-wheel drive and dual electric motors that produce over 600 horsepower. This torque figure will easily surpass that of the iX xDrive50’s 564 pound-feet (765 Newton meters).
Rolls-Royce will offer the Spectre for sale in 2023.