Photo: Benny Kirk/autoevolution
The 2024 New York Auto Show was a bit light this year in the "wow" department. At a show which, at least at a glance, looks awfully familiar to the one from the year before, and even the year before that in some cases (we're looking at you, Subaru), the exotic section smack-dab in the Middle of the Jacob K. Javits Center is quite the opposite. We've already profiled Lamborghini's entry, the Revuelto hypercar. But what about Rolls Royce?
Well, apart from a 2024 Rolls-Royce Ghost, which ostensibly isn't all that new or special, the Roller sitting alongside it on the left was quite the opposite. This is the 2024 Spectre, and it's the first all-electric vehicle from the world's pre-eminent luxury automaker.
With the same underpinnings as the Phantom and the Cullinan but a wholly bespoke body and drivetrain all its own, the Spectre is the high-class baller car for the eco-conscious millionaire. Happily, the Spectre visually looks every bit like it deserves the RR badge.
But from the sleeker, redesigned Spirit of Ecstacy hood ornament and slightly less ostentatious front grille to go with giant boulders of polished alloy wheels, the Spectre is an EV that at least attempts to differentiate itself aesthetically from ICE-powered Rollers within the lineup. Add on iconic reverse-hinged suicide doors, LED accents on the door cards and headliner, and a motif unique to modern Rolls-Royce's that works particularly well when the engine is gone and electric motors are in their place.
Speaking of electric motors, this Roller utilizes two BMW eDrive permanently excited synchronous motors that combine to deliver a healthy 430 kW, or roughly 577 mechanical horsepower, along with 664 lb-ft of torque, when you do the math. With all of its torque available right from the moment you put your foot down, the Spectre takes advantage of the inherent strengths of battery-electric drivetrains just the same as a Nissan Leaf, a Tesla Model 3, or any other "normal" electric vehicle.
That's to the tune of zero to 60 in around 4.5 seconds and a top speed limited to 155 mph. It's not a Model S Plaid or even a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N in terms of performance, but we can only guess whoever buys this Spectre is going to spend most of the time barely poking the speed limit while their personal driver takes care of navigating highways full of peasants in their Audis and Toyotas.
With a starting base price of $422,750 before options, taxes, and fees, there are legit mansions you could buy for that kind of money. But let's be real, a big-ish house won't give remotely the same level of clout that this Rolls-Royce delivers with ease.
With the same underpinnings as the Phantom and the Cullinan but a wholly bespoke body and drivetrain all its own, the Spectre is the high-class baller car for the eco-conscious millionaire. Happily, the Spectre visually looks every bit like it deserves the RR badge.
But from the sleeker, redesigned Spirit of Ecstacy hood ornament and slightly less ostentatious front grille to go with giant boulders of polished alloy wheels, the Spectre is an EV that at least attempts to differentiate itself aesthetically from ICE-powered Rollers within the lineup. Add on iconic reverse-hinged suicide doors, LED accents on the door cards and headliner, and a motif unique to modern Rolls-Royce's that works particularly well when the engine is gone and electric motors are in their place.
Speaking of electric motors, this Roller utilizes two BMW eDrive permanently excited synchronous motors that combine to deliver a healthy 430 kW, or roughly 577 mechanical horsepower, along with 664 lb-ft of torque, when you do the math. With all of its torque available right from the moment you put your foot down, the Spectre takes advantage of the inherent strengths of battery-electric drivetrains just the same as a Nissan Leaf, a Tesla Model 3, or any other "normal" electric vehicle.
That's to the tune of zero to 60 in around 4.5 seconds and a top speed limited to 155 mph. It's not a Model S Plaid or even a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N in terms of performance, but we can only guess whoever buys this Spectre is going to spend most of the time barely poking the speed limit while their personal driver takes care of navigating highways full of peasants in their Audis and Toyotas.
With a starting base price of $422,750 before options, taxes, and fees, there are legit mansions you could buy for that kind of money. But let's be real, a big-ish house won't give remotely the same level of clout that this Rolls-Royce delivers with ease.
Google News