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Photo: Instagram | motorcarsofchicago
Can you believe it’s been three years since Rolls-Royce first ventured into the electric car game? The model in question is called the Spectre, and is pretty much the successor to the Wraith.
It is a luxury-oriented grand tourer that is on the very large side of things. It measures 214.7 inches (5,423 mm) from bumper to bumper, which makes it longer than the latest BMW 7 Series. The Rolls-Royce Spectre is 81.9 inches (2,080 mm) wide, 61.4 inches (1,559 mm) tall, and has a 126.4 inches (3,210 mm) long wheelbase. The curb weight is almost three metric tons, or roughly 6,500 pounds.
While the Rolls-Royce Wraith used to share its nuts and bolts not only with the Dawn, which was its open-top sibling, and the old Ghost sedan, but also the F01 BMW 7 Series, the Spectre is built on the Architecture of Luxury. Thus, it has a lot of things in common with the current Ghost, as well as the Phantom VIII flagship sedan, and the Cullinan luxury SUV, as well as the Boat Tail. And all of them feature a V12 engine, so in theory, the Spectre could easily go down the ICE route if the company wanted it to.
However, given that it is doing very well for itself as an electric vehicle, we seriously doubt that Rolls-Royce will ever launch a V12-powered version of the Spectre. But then again, if there’s something we have learned about the automotive industry after all these years in the field, it is never say never. Thus, while we wouldn’t hold our breath for an ICE Rolls-Royce Spectre, we wouldn’t completely rule it out, especially since it can be relatively easily converted to run on gasoline rather than sip electrons whenever the battery gets depleted.
Photo: Instagram | motorcarsofchicago
The Spectre certainly looks like a Rolls-Royce. It is big and very imposing, and features the traditional grille a the front, flanked by the split lighting units. The upper elements are the daytime running lights, and the lower ones are the main clusters. The bumper features a large air intake in the middle, the hood has a bulging design, it features a traditional back end with vertical taillights and an angular rear windscreen, sits on large wheels, and sports rear-hinged doors (suicide style).
On the inside, it is extremely plush, comfortable, silent, and refined, and filled with pretty much everything one could ever wish from something like this. It has a dual-screen setup that was neatly incorporated into the dashboard panel. The latter has a traditional design, and the steering wheel has not gone down the quirky route, and neither has the climate control system. For what it’s worth, the Rolls-Royce Spectre still features plenty of buttons, and can be fully customized straight from the factory.
Mind you, one needs to be really loaded in order to afford such a thing, because the Rolls-Royce Spectre starts at around $400,000 new, and the superior Black Badge variant is some $70,000 more expensive. It is not uncommon for certain examples to change hands for $500,000 or more than $550,000, and if you are willing to buy used, then you should prepare at least $350,000 for such a thing.
Photo: Instagram | motorcarsofchicago
The pictured car is a 2024 model year that features a blue paint finish on the outside, and a mix of blue and white in the cabin. It is said to have a clean title, and some 13,000 miles (21,000 km) under its belt. This Rolls-Royce Spectre is advertised on social media by @motorcarsofchicago. The selling dealer did not have anything else to say about it, though you should know that it accepts trade-ins, offers financing, and is not particularly fond of direct messages.
As you already know, the Rolls-Royce Spectre features a dual-motor powertrain that pushes out 567 bhp (575 ps/423 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque in total, enabling 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in 4.5 seconds. The Black Badge offers a bit more oomph, as it comes with 650 bhp (659 ps/485 kW) and 793 lb-ft (1,075 Nm) of torque, and it is three-tenths of a second quicker from 0 to 62 mph than the standard variant.
Now, the selling dealer may not have had much to say about the Rolls-Royce Spectre pictured in the gallery above, but we can see that the car is in a very nice overall condition, and other than some wear on the driver’s seat, there does not seem to be anything wrong with it. Well, assuming that you call seat wear an issue, that is. But how much does this thing cost after two years of ownership and some 13,000 miles covered?
Unless you said $369,995, then you are wrong, because this was the asking price at the time of writing. So, assuming you had almost $400K to blow on a cool set of wheels, would you buy this EV?