2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre Prototype Ride: Luxury Goes Electric—For the Better

The writing's been on the wall for 122 years. Smitten by his first drive in an early EV back in 1900, Charles Rolls enthused that "The electric vehicle is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged." What better time than the 21st century for his namesake luxury brand to jump to the inevitable conclusion?

Spectre, Rolls-Royce's first fully electrified production vehicle, won't be ready for prime time until late 2023. But the carmaker granted MotorTrend unprecedented early access to a development vehicle, lifting the veil on what the automaker says is the company's most important milestone since Charles Rolls met Henry Royce in 1904. Piggybacking onto the vehicle's cold weather testing process in Arjeplog, Sweden—an industry winter evaluation playground at the edge of the arctic circle—we enjoyed an early taste of brand's first-ever electrified production car, a shift so monumental it's been christened "Rolls-Royce 3.0." Here's what we found.

In the flesh, Spectre is a barge, even set against the vastness of these stark surroundings. Walk up to the big coupe, and it's hard not to be daunted by the imposing form. This author stands five-foot, eleven inches, and the roofline nearly comes up to my neck, the beltline up to my elbows. Gaping arches will be filled with 23-inch wheels, the biggest fitted to a coupe since the monstrous 1926 Bugatti Royale, though our example was sitting on smaller 22s due to winter tire fitments.

Though Rolls experimented with an exploratory 102EX EV concept (and later the autonomous 103EX), Spectre has been ordained the spiritual successor to the ultra-rare, V-12-powered 2009 Phantom Coupe. Even scarcer than the shortened Phantom was that car's inspiration, the one-off 100EX. The 2004 concept was an über-grand statement, powered by a 9.0-liter V-16. If you're getting the impression that Spectre is being positioned as something greater than an electrified Wraith, enjoy those bonus points: This sucker is like a sleeker Phantom Coupé, with C-pillars that stretch all the way to the tail but feel a tad more sculptural than the Wraith's arched rump.

Not surprisingly, Spectre is claimed to be the most aerodynamic Roller ever. A preliminary drag coefficient of 0.26 is aided by a redesigned Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament that crouches slightly lower in the interest of slipping more efficiently through the air. One engineer estimates that the aero work is 85 percent complete, just in need of some gap closures and minor tweaks here and there. Also contributing to slipperiness (though to less sexy effect) are emaciated tires whose 255mm section width lend the bulky coupe a skinny-legged appearance when viewed from behind. Whatever the mileage gains are from the razor-thin rubber, we'd gladly trade some range for meatier shoes.

Swing the giant rear-hinged doors open, and familiar Rolls-Royce cabin proportions emerge: a tall sill, a dashboard of architecturally vertical scale, and massive front thrones. Hold a switch on the center console, and the door seals itself shut with an oh-so-plutocratic sweep. Hermetically sealed within the cabin, it's hard not to feel invincible within this multiton machine. Front seat occupants are enveloped by the high doorsills— I instinctively raised my seat in order to better see over the dashboard— and the rear perches are spacious enough to accommodate full-grown adults. Even cranked to their highest altitude, it's easy to feel dwarfed by the car's proportions.

Interestingly, the Spirit of Ecstasy is positioned low enough to require a craned neck in order to see the top portion from inside the car, a far cry from the imperious ladies perched atop Parthenon grilles of yore. This particular tester's dashboard was cloaked in a protective blanket, though it's fair to say we peeped copious swaths of timber and hide beneath the covering. While Rolls-Royce is inimitably linked to supple leather surfaces, CEO Thorsten Müller-Ötvös revealed to MotorTrend that the carmaker is working on vegan alternatives, including a potential silk-like material he describes as more delicate than conventional animal hides.

We were repeatedly warned that the prototype was only "25 percent complete" before we ventured off on our test ride. Since Rolls is noncommittal about nearly every aspect of the Spectre's specifications, from battery formulation to storage capacity and estimated range, we leaned on the seat of our pants for impressions. We were, however, told that this prototype is powered by four electric motors, with two driving the front axle and another pair spinning the rear.

The few touchpoints we engaged with—door handles, window switchgear, and center console buttons for starters— had familiar Rolls-Royce origins. However, this prototype rolls down the road with more primary and secondary ride feedback than we've seen from the ultraluxe brand. Given that suspension tuning is still underway, the damping rates are likely nowhere near where they'll end up when the chassis is dialed in. We expect Spectre's active roll stabilization and four-wheel steering system to provide quite a bit more variability in terms of suppleness and agility, the latter of which was perceptible through sharp yaw movements during low-speed maneuvers.

That said, the prototype whisks itself through space in much the same manner that its internal combustion predecessors do: with an eerily seamless sense of forward motion that's unfettered by the constraints of gear changes or power gaps. The feeling of instant torque is unmistakable, and perhaps comes on a bit more sharply than you might expect upon throttle tip-in. The wave of power is also deep, drawing from massive batteries that reportedly weigh 1,500 pounds. While acceleration could be called "stately," it graduates to "heady" above 40 mph; by around 70 mph, Spectre feels like it's just getting started, like it's drawing from a honeyed supply of endless electrons—an unusual sensation, given how most EVs deliver punchy off-the-line response that fades at higher speeds. And while there's certainly more road noise and random creaks than there will be on the final car, the prototype feels entirely capable of delivering a degree of effortless hustle that would make Henry and Charles very satisfied indeed.

With many more miles to go in the development process—Rolls estimates a million and a half remaining clicks, which include hot weather and high-speed testing—there will no doubt be significant refinements made to the package. As it stands, this quarter-complete Spectre is one seriously capable prototype that feels swift, isolated, and solid in its relationship between driver and road. We're still in the dark about details like whether Spectre will have a driver-adjustable brake regen setting, or how long it will waft about before it needs a charge; Rolls-Royce is still working out many of those details. As the brand's lineup marches towards full electrification by 2030, one thing is sure: Battery power makes Rolls-Royce's long held goal of swift, silent movement will be more achievable than ever.