Three months after quietly abandoning its pledge to go all-electric by 2030, Rolls-Royce is refreshing its only EV. The Spectre Series II has landed, and it is a proper update, not just a nose job.
The recently appointed CEO of Rolls-Royce, Chris Brownridge, publicly stated that he had walked back the commitment his predecessor had made in 2022. Changed legislation and sustained client demand for V12 engines were important factors of change. The EV-only future, it turned out, was “right at the time.” But no longer so. Rolls-Royce joins the long list of car manufacturers flipping over their electric-all-in engagement.
Sooner than usual
The Spectre has always been the car supposed to lead that future. And as the first iterations arrived in global markets three years ago, the Series II arrives sooner than usual for a Rolls-Royce.
The headline number is a claimed 18 percent increase in range, taking the Spectre Series II to 628 kilometers on the WLTP cycle. The gain comes from re-engineered battery cell technology rather than a larger pack. Charging times are reduced by 14%, though exact figures in kW have not yet been disclosed. “If you really want to know, you probably can’t afford this car”, used to be the go-to answer from the marque.
Power goes up, too. The standard version now produces 593 bhp, with torque rising to 1,015 Nm. For context, the outgoing Black Badge produced 660 bhp and 1,075 Nm and was billed as the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever made.
That title now obviously crowns the Black Badge Spectre Series II. In Infinity Mode, it delivers 671 bhp, and Spirited Mode unlocks 1,100 Nm of torque. But don’t be mistaken. Performance is a side-effect in this case. Silence and effortlessness remain the pitch.
Details matter
Rolls-Royce made a deliberate call to retain the split headlamp signature, the clean surfacing, and the sweeping roofline. The brand says Spectre has been singled out by judging panels worldwide as one of the most elegant automotive forms of its era, and it sees no reason to argue with that.
What has changed are the details. A new paint called Ethereal Blue joins the palette. New 23-inch forged alloy wheels arrive with a multi-spoke design, each one hand-finished for up to six hours to achieve the crisp, diamond-like surfaces.
The Black Badge version gets its own new look called Iced Black. Almost all brightwork – grille surround, sideframe finishers, door handles, Spirit of Ecstasy, and so on – receives a matte satin finish via a specially developed clear coat. But the Pantheon Grille stays polished, making it recognizably a Rolls-Royce.
From bamboo to glass flakes
Spectre is one of the most popular Bespoke candidates in the Goodwood lineup, second only to the Phantom. The Series II expands that personalization palette significantly.
New to the interior is Duality Twill, a rayon fabric woven from bamboo. Its inspiration is a bamboo grove on the Côte d’Azur that neighbors Villa Mimosa, Sir Henry Royce’s former winter home. There is also Placed Perforation leather, where precision-cut holes create a moonlit cloud pattern across the shoulders and headrests of all four seats. The numbers count here, as the pattern uses 78,138 individual perforations in three sizes.
The list goes on and on. A new walnut-sourced veneer from non-fruiting trees, combined with eucalyptus fiber residue from paper production, produces what the brand calls a “tiger stripe” pattern, sealed under a lacquer embedded with ‘glass flakes.’ It catches light from different angles in a way that makes the veneer appear three-dimensional.
Oh, yes, and maybe the most important upgrade is the new clock, inspired by aviation instruments. More than in any other Rolls, hearing the clock tick is the only sound allowed inside.
Falling sales?
Unlike other luxury brands – often more performance-oriented – it might explain why Spectre fared reasonably well among Goodwood’s customers. Last year, it was the second-best-selling model globally, behind the Cullinan. Even so, unofficial numbers from the brand itself state that sales fell 47% to 1,002 units last year.
Despite that relative success, and the trend of reverse-engineering electric models to combustion engines as Porsche has planned, there’s no V12 for Spectre in the pipeline. The new CEO might be reversing the powertrain focus for the near future, but there’s no denying Rolls-Royce still has the best cards for electrification than any other luxury carmaker.
