Rolls-Royce Spectre electric coupe is brand's most aerodynamic model

PARIS -- Rolls-Royce says its first full-electric car, the Spectre coupe, will be the most aerodynamic car the ultraluxury brand has produced.

The Spectre was unveiled on Tuesday ahead of first deliveries late next year. It can travel 320 miles (520 km) on a single charge, thanks to the model’s sleek shape, Rolls-Royce said in a statement.

Rolls-Royce is the first ultraluxury brand to launch an EV, putting it ahead of rivals Bentley, Aston Martin and Ferrari.

The automaker said electric propulsion sits perfectly with the brand’s ethos to build fast, silent luxury cars andits development did not require any compromise.

The Spectre is "a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second," Rolls-Royce’s CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said in a statement.

Rolls-Royce said the car would be priced between the Cullinan SUV and Phantom sedan, suggesting it will cost around 350,000 pounds ($400,000)

The company did not reveal battery capacity specs for the Spectre, but disclosed the pack weighed 700 kg, suggesting a kilowatt per hour figure of over 100.

The total weight of the Spectre is 2975 kg, while the length is 5453 mm. The battery pack is integrated into the chassis, which Rolls-Royce says increases the car’s stiffness by 30 percent compared to combustion engine cars on the same architecture.

The electric motor is rated at 576 hp and it can accelerate the car to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds.

The Spectre, which fills the hole left by the Wraith coupe in the brand’s lineup, uses the same aluminum ‘architecture of luxury’ that underpins the brand’s most recent cars. The architecture was developed by Rolls-Royce to accept an electric drivetrain but “it is only now that electric drive technology is advanced enough to fulfil the Rolls-Royce experience,” the brand said in the statement.

Rolls-Royce has optimized the aerodynamics across the car to achieve a claimed drag-coefficient of 0.25Cd, making it the most sleek model it has produced.

The aerodynamic-optimized work extended to the elongated version of the famous ‘pantheon’ grille, which now has a flusher fit, and even extends to the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament that underwent wind tunnel testing to give it less drag.

Along with a wider front grille, the front of the Spectre is further differentiated from Rolls-Royce’s V-12 combustion engine range with a split headlight arrangement that stacks slim driving lights on top of main headlights that appear darkened when not lit up to help them blend in. The company says the design increases the feeling of width with the car. The grille itself is also illuminated with 22 LED lights.

As with the Wraith Coupe the doors are hinged to the rear.

Inside, Rolls-Royce has expanded its ‘starlight’ option by embedding a multitude of tiny LEDs into the doors, as well as the roof and dashboard. The option is one of a series of modifications Rolls-Royce says will make to the car as part of its bespoke range of options.

The Spectre introduces a new digital architecture called Spirit that accompanies the launch of a new app to let owners connect to the car via their smartphone.

The app, called Whispers, allows owners to change aspects of the car’s interior look, for example the color of the dials, as well as receive information from “luxury intelligence specialists.”