Four years after it launched, Rolls-Royce has updated its Spectre electric car with more power, more range, faster charging – and, of course, greater options for customization.
Called the Spectre Series II, the new car has a range of 390 miles (using the European WLTP standard), which is an 18 percent improvement over the original.
The new car also charges 14 percent more quickly, but Rolls-Royce hasn’t attached a time in minutes or a kilowatt figure to that. The original Spectre uses a 400-volt system and has a maximum charge rate of 195 kW, so while those figures might not have changed, an improvement to how long the Spectre Series II can sustain the maximum rate could see a noticeable improvement in charge time.
Not that many Spectre drivers tend to charge their Rolls-Royces away from home. The company says how its existing Spectre owners charge “almost exclusively at home”. Rolls-Royce also said how the Spectre is typically the second Rolls in a seven-car garage, but is driven a reasonable amount, at around 4,000 miles per year, and is mostly driven solo.
Back to the new model, and power has been increased from 430 to 442 kW (592 horsepower). Torque is up from 900 to 1,015 Nm (748 ft-lbs) but a new acceleration time has not been provided.
There’s also a new Black Badge Spectre Series II, which sees its total output increase to 500 kW (670 hp) when using Infinity Mode. Engage Spirited Mode (Rolls-speak for launch control) and torque jumps to 1,100 Nm).
Also new for Spectre Series II is a new dashboard clock design that draws inspiration from aviation instruments, plus new interior offerings through Rolls’ Bespoke department, called Duality Twill and Placed Perforation. The former is a rayon fabric made from bamboo, and a single interior’s worth can include more than 2.6 million stitches and 10 miles of thread. Placed Perforation is a new leather interior option where a pattern is created across the seats using tiny, precision-cut holes.
The company said how the Spectre is the second-most customized Rolls-Royce, behind only the Phantom limousine, so it makes sense to make more Bespoke options available for buyers of its EV.
There’s also a new exterior paint option, called Ethereal Blue, and a new 23-inch forged alloy wheel with a highly faceted multi-spoke design. Rolls-Royce says it takes up to six hours to hand-finish each wheel, and the faceting is available in two finishes: part-polished and fully polished.
As well as the usual dose of extra power and torque, the Black Badge Spectre Series II gets a new exterior detailing finish called Iced Black. This is used for all of the car’s brightwork, giving the grille surround, bumper inserts, R-R badges, door handles and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament a matte finish. Rolls-Royce says the finish is achieved by using a specially developed matte clear coat, which creates a satin-like finish to components that are polished chrome on the standard car.
No prices have been announced, as is Rolls-Royce tradition. The original Spectre started at around $420,000, but extensive customization through the Bespoke department can see that figure soon exceed $500,000. You can expect much the same from the Series II.
This story was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
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