Drive a contemporary Rolls-Royce and it is laborious to flee the air of opulence. Deep shag lambswool carpets. A rear seat that hides its occupants from prying eyes. A headlining with hundreds of LED stars that twinkle at night time. But it is also laborious to keep away from pondering that even with a strong 6.75 L V12 underneath the hood, there’s a greater different.

Rolls-Royce thinks so, too. Which is why on Tuesday, it debuted the Spectre, a brand new electrical, fixed-head coupe that can attain its first well-heeled patrons in late 2023. It’s the primary battery-electric automobile from the marque, however not the final—its complete lineup can be EV-only by 2030.

Now, to spare the anger of the traditionalists, take into account this quote: “The electrical automotive is completely noiseless and clear. There is not any scent or vibration. They ought to turn into very helpful when fastened charging stations may be organized.” No, not a submit from any one of many quite a few Ars remark threads about EVs, however Charles Stewart Rolls, one of many two eponymous founders of the corporate, talking in 1900.

Rolls-Royce nonetheless feels that means 121 years later; when Ars spoke to Ghost Chief Engineer Jonathan Simm in 2021, he informed me that “it is quite simple, as a result of electrification is ideal for our model values. As you say, it is silent, it is instantaneous torque, pretty usually our automobiles are used at decrease speeds—it suits completely.”

The Spectre has been designed as a successor to the Phantom Coupé and can be priced between the $348,500 Cullinan SUV and the $460,000 Phantom sedan. The form is instantly recognizable as a Rolls-Royce and solely a Rolls-Royce, with an enormous pantheon grille on the entrance topped by the Spirit of Ecstasy, though each grille and sculpture have been aero-optimized for the Spectre.

Expect a big car—at 215 inches (5,453 mm) lengthy and 82 inches (2,080 mm) large, it has a bigger footprint than a Cadillac Escalade. Unsurprisingly, it is going to weigh greater than an Escalade, too, with a curb weight of 6,559 lbs (2,975 kg). It may have been worse; Rolls-Royce now has a brand new aluminum spaceframe structure that is extraordinarily stiff however lighter than a standard metal monocoque chassis.

The battery pack lives between the axles, however Rolls-Royce is staying coy on powertrain specs for now apart from to say the Spectre will pack 577 hp (430 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm), with an EPA-estimated vary of 260 miles (418 km) on 23-inch wheels and a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds). While the vary might sound low to some, the overwhelming majority of Rolls-Royces spend their time driving in cities.

The firm is a bit more forthcoming in regards to the Spectre’s “planar” suspension, which might decouple its entrance and rear anti-roll bars, which permits every wheel to react independently to issues like potholes. So if one wheel hits a bump or a gap, that is not translated right into a side-to-side rocking movement contained in the automotive. When the automotive detects a nook is developing—Rolls-Royce powertrains have been location-aware for some years now—it reconnects the antiroll bars and stiffens the dampers to keep up the magic carpet journey.

Otherwise, the Spectre seems to be prefer it hews carefully to Rolls-Royce’s tried-and-trusted method of low-volume, handcrafted luxurious interiors. And now you’ll be able to even have starlight doorways to go together with the starlight roof—this provides an additional 4,796 stars to the door playing cards, though since this can be a Rolls-Royce, its bespoke service will in all probability make any type of inside you need… for the precise worth.