A Rolls-Royce isn’t just an automobile in the same way Buckingham Palace isn’t just a building. There’s an undeniable sense of presence just being around them. Exquisitely constructed, they are examples of some of the finest things made to be enjoyed by only a select few.
Nothing screams old money more than a new Rolls-Royce. You can feel the aristocracy seeping through its sheet metal when one drives by. Supercars might command attention, but a Rolls-Royce commands respect. The company tells us that its average customer has a fleet of over 20 cars and is just 42 years old.
The new Rolls-Royce Spectre is a milestone for the company, being the first battery-electric vehicle to wear the Spirit of Ecstasy on its grille. Losing the large lump of reciprocating metal under the hood might just be one the greatest things to happen to a Rolls-Royce, taking it to another level of luxurious ambiance.
Rolls-Royce cars are open canvases for clients to play out their wildest dreams. From fully custom paintwork and bespoke leather interiors to built-in champagne chests and cocktail hampers, these cars are as much sanctuaries for their owners as they are objects of desire for everyone else.
Here are five features on the new Rolls-Royce Spectre that are fit for royalty.
Reverse-Hinged Power-Operated Doors Coach Doors
Power-operated doors aren’t anything new. The BMW 7 Series has them, and so does a Toyota Sienna, but very few cars have doors that are rear-hinged and open backwards.
The Spectre’s doors are enormous at almost 1.5 metres long, but open effortlessly with a power assist. And unlike almost every car out there, they open backwards, so when your driver opens your door, getting out looks dignified and elegant. They also look awesome.
Once ensconced in the sumptuous cabin, both doors can be closed with the touch of a button, sealing you in from the outside world.
Door Umbrellas
Being a British marque, a Rolls-Royce should always be equipped for wet weather, so a built-in umbrella might seem like an obvious feature. But unless you’re paying north of half a million dollars for your wheels, chances are you’ve never seen this feature before.
It’s not just any umbrella. Like everything else in the car, it’s an umbrella of the highest quality, and there’s one concealed in each door. Even releasing the umbrella from its holder feels substantial, done by depressing a polished metal button, which ejects the large parasol from its cavity.
Champagne Stop
The “champagne stop” is not a feature but a technique that Rolls-Royce teaches in its chauffeur training program. It teaches drivers to always brake smoothly while gradually releasing pressure on the brake pedal as the car comes to a stop. If the VIPs in the back are enjoying a sip of bubbly, this smooth stop will ensure not one drop spills out.
Because the Spectre is electric, it has regenerative brakes and when in the “B” driving mode, the Spectre turns into a one-pedal driver with a programmed-in “champagne stop.” The company tells us that getting this to work just right took a lot of time and effort.
Lift off the accelerator pedal in “B” mode, and there’s no uncouth forward lurch, only smooth and controlled deceleration, with the EV gliding to an effortlessly smooth stop. Brilliant.
Starlight Interior
A Rolls-Royce trademark and probably one of the most striking interior features ever fitted to an automobile, the Starlight interior consists of thousands of tiny perforations in the headliner, each backlit with fibre-optic lights that twinkle and pulse, just like the night sky. There are constellations and shooting stars, making a mesmerizing display for passengers.
On the Spectre, the Starlight now extends into doors with another 4,796 points of light and another 5,500 embedded in the passenger side of the dashboard in the shape of the Spirit of Ecstasy’s wing.
It’s a magical experience that certainly deserves the money-is-no-object price tag of a Rolls-Royce Spectre.
Exquisite Materials, Unparalleled Craftsmanship
Most of what separates a Rolls-Royce from basically every other automobile is what you don’t see. The simplicity, the minimalism, the space – it’s all a part of the experience where nothing is too bold or brash, and everything is tasteful, elegant, and exquisite.
Air vents are opened and closed with a heavy mechanical pull, turning even the most mundane task into an event. There’s a fan speed setting labelled “Soft” just because, and even the centre screen isn’t oversized because that wouldn’t fit with Rolls-Royce’s image. Subtlety and class are everything here.
The sumptuous full-grain leather that covers virtually every surface comes from some of the most pampered cows on the planet, fed a special diet and only bred from the finest stock. Rear taillamps appear perfectly colourless when not illuminated so as not to distract from the lines of the car and the paint has a mirror-like finish and virtually no orange peel (shallow dimples on the paint surface of virtually every car). That’s something that even six-figure automobiles can’t boast. Then there are the hand-painted pinstripes that run the length of the body done by one man who’s been pinstriping every Rolls-Royce since 2003.
A Rolls-Royce automobile takes its customers on a journey back in time to when things were done with greater attention to detail and at a slower pace. The Spectre marries that old-world magic with a highly modern powertrain, ensuring the past, present, and future are all fully aligned.
