In just over a year, the Rolls-Royce Specter will be a reality, debuting and going on sale. The first great electric of the British luxury brand, the natural substitute for the Wraith. The Goodwood firm is documenting the development process of the new zero-emission coupe. This time, the demanding winter tests where it has been seen on video.
For lovers of Rolls-Royce, and for those interested in the tests to which the prototypes of the new models are subjected during their development. The Goodwood brand is giving an account of the program that it is implementing for the development of the new Rolls-Royce Specter. A true sports car that has to comply in all aspects with the quality standard of the brand, and also with the demands of the customers.
One of the great qualities of the Specter is that it is the natural substitute for the Rolls-Royce Wraithwhich already has an expiration date and, curiously, coincides with the launch of what is his first electric. Rolls-Royce has not hidden from the outset, presenting the first camouflaged prototypes, announcing its world debut date for mid-2023, and now confirming that it has passed the winter tests, the first phase under extreme temperature conditions that, at best it is -26º C and at worst reaches -40º C.
Rolls-Royce Specter prototype handles snow with ease
Rolls-Royce Specter, the luxury brand’s first electric
Despite the fact that the debut is scheduled for next year, Rolls-Royce has pointed out that this is only a quarter of the total tests –the fleet of prototypes already add up to 500,000 kilometers– that the test units will suffer, which must add, among all, some 2.5 million kilometers before going into production. The usual in a new BMW model, but with a higher demand in the tests of the propulsion system and in the operation of the battery.
The Specter is based on the aluminum platform of the Phantom, but specially adapted to an electric model, confirming that its dimensions will not be very different from those of the model it is going to replace. Compared to the Wraith, it has seven kilometers of cables, compared to two for the combustion model. In addition, it is fitted with large 23-inch alloy wheels – such a diameter has not been used since 1926 – to support the weight of the battery, of no less than 700 kilograms. The brand’s engineers have also found a way for the battery to remain separated from the passenger compartment floor, in an ingenious and studied sound insulation solution.
Because the space left between the battery and the lower deck has been configured as an aerodynamic channel. With all onboard systems proven to work in intense cold, it’s time to move to warmer climates, making appearance act at the Nürburgring circuit in just a few weeks. The Specter will test the dynamics -steering and brakes- and those of the chassis control, in addition to the performance of two powerful electric motors whose power is expected to reach, if not exceed, the 500 kW of power. A figure equivalent to 680 hpenough for a two-and-a-half ton sports car and for the UK’s first electric car, with a maximum autonomy of 600 kilometers.