Rolls-Royce must be both frustrated and delighted that its new Spectre Series II luxury electric coupe seemingly can’t be discussed or written about without reference to the Ferrari Luce or the Jaguar Type 00. The reception given to the first-generation Spectre – Rolls-Royce’s first EV – ranged from accepting to rapturous when it was revealed four years ago. The subsequent launches of the Luce and Type 00 were, you will have noticed, somewhat less successful.
These are three very different cars, at three very different price points. But all asked the public and most importantly their customers to accept that a famous old marque could use a new form of propulsion. Jaguar had made an electric SUV before, but the Type 00 previewed an entirely electric future.
The difference is that the Ferrari and the Jaguar also asked us to accept a radical change in design at the same time. Rolls-Royce, by contrast, very wisely made its first EV very beautiful and very Rolls-Royce: a subtle, stylish iteration of the design themes it has been developing for quarter of a century under BMW ownership. And it helped that electric power felt right for Rolls-Royce, which has always majored on near-silent drivetrains with abundant torque.
The Spectre’s positive reception translated into strong sales, at least at first. In 2024, its first full year on sale, nearly 2,000 found homes, accounting for a third of the brand’s total sales and second only to the Cullinan SUV. But Spectre sales almost halved last year as that initial, pent-up demand for a type of Rolls never previously available was sated. This revised Series II version has come relatively early in the model’s lifecycle – but it’s not a knee-jerk response to slowing sales. It takes Rolls-Royce two years just to develop a new wood trim, so this second generation would have been in the plan from the outset.
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The brand is sticking to a mostly successful formula, and the changes are very subtle. But when offered a world-first drive in a prototype of the revised car, Elite Traveler made the trip to Goodwood, the home of Rolls-Royce on the English south coast, to see if the new car can kick-start sales again, and to reacquaint ourselves with the benchmark super-luxury EV.
The biggest change can’t be felt on the road. Initially, Rolls-Royce chose not to give the Spectre the biggest possible battery, sacrificing some range and using the weight saved to offer the same amenities as a V12-powered car. “If our customers really need to go further in a day without stopping to charge, they have a lot of other cars to choose from, or a jet,” the then-director of engineering told me.
But advances in battery tech have now allowed Rolls to increase battery capacity by ten per cent to 112kWh. Range is up 18 percent to 390 miles, and despite the bigger battery an unspecified faster peak charging speed means charging times are down by 14 percent. Research shows that the typical Spectre is the second Rolls-Royce in a seven-car garage, only does around 4000 miles each year, and is charged at home. Public charging remains a distinctly non-premium experience, so the additional range will be of interest and use to the marque’s UHNW clients, but with many other transport options available to them the changes might not be sufficient to unlock more sales.
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The powertrain revisions also make the Series II the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever. The standard power and torque figures increase by around five per cent to 592bhp and 748lb ft, but the ‘Infinity’ and ‘Spirited’ modes in the Black Badge version increase those figures to a mighty 670bhp and 811lb ft, or a neat 500kW and 1100Nm if you think in metric.
We drove a Series I again for comparison, and on the road, you’ll struggle to tell the difference: the acceleration in either Series is so instant, effortless, and devastating that you can generally only use a fraction of it. To deploy all of it we used the nearby Goodwood Motor Circuit. A full-bore standing start in a Spectre is terrifying, hilarious but also brilliantly judged. There’s no wheelspin or neck-snap: that wouldn’t be Rolls-Royce. But the instant you’re underway the torque surges and you’re aware that the longitudinal g-force means that all your weight is being taken by your back rather than your backside. Rolls doesn’t release performance figures, but expect a hypercar-standard 0-60mph time of well under 3.5 seconds.
Same with the braking: it’s both remarkable and reassuring how rapidly you can stop a near three-tonne luxury EV traveling at 60mph. The ride and refinement are unchanged and still peerless, and the handling is surprisingly poised and agile without ever feeling overtly ‘sporty’.
Spectre Series II gets a bunch of new paint and trim options which clients can then individualize further. The ‘gradient two-tone’ paint allows the exterior color to shift subtly from black to blue, violet or grey from front to back. ‘Duality twill’ offers a bamboo-based fabric upholstery option, but if you stick with the usual high-Alpine male calf-hide then ‘placed perforation’ can create subtle, bespoke patterns in it. Or the in-house art department can paint or embroider the leather to your own design.
The detail with which you can specify a Spectre is genuinely remarkable. A new ‘brindle walnut’ wood finish, unique to Spectre, uses waste walnut and eucalyptus from the nut and paper industries. The veneers are finished with a clear coat containing tiny glass particles which shimmer slightly even in the shady cabin. Want to change their color, or remove them entirely? No problem.
It was good to reconnect with a Rolls-Royce as a piece of engineering and not just a luxury good. But it’s this ability to cater for pretty much any client request that will keep customers coming back, rather than subtle but impressive electrical or mechanical changes. Spectre Series II might not unlock a whole new audience for super-luxury EVs, but it might tempt those who enjoyed creating their first to return to Goodwood to specify another.
