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Rolls-Royce Spectre EV spied up close in best spy shots yet

Rolls-Royce promised it would be developing the Spectre electric car “in plain sight,” and hereÂ’s some decent proof of that in spy shot form. Outside of the initial teaser photos released by Rolls-Royce earlier this year, we havenÂ’t seen any other details of the electric Rolls. ThatÂ’s changed today, as one of our spy shooters captured a test Spectre both on the pavement and on a flatbed.  The most intriguing angle of view is directly from the front. We can just make out that this Rolls appears to be wearing a version of the upcoming stacked headlight look previously spied on soon-to-come BMW models like the next-gen 7 Series and refreshed X7. The close-up view also provides a look at the traditional Rolls-Royce grille and the lower front bumper design. Perhaps Rolls will sort out a more elegant solution by production time, but the sensor module in the center of the lower front bumper is a bit of an eyesore.  Heading to the rear, we see some taillights lit up, but itÂ’s difficult to make out what they might look like in final production form. These could simply be test lights and not represent what the actual production lights look like, too. As for the rest of the rear, the lower bumper is quite the piece. It juts out way beyond the bodywork and in no way looks like the finished product. One of the last intriguing items of note is the angle of the rear tire when the driver has the steering wheel at full lock. ItÂ’s not an extreme angle of rear-wheel steer, but the rear wheel does appear to be turned in the opposite direction as the fronts. This car being a coupe, itÂ’s reasonable that it wouldnÂ’t need a massive amount of rear-wheel steering to be agile in a city, but itÂ’s still a Rolls-Royce, so coupe or not, itÂ’s massive. Beyond those specific details, we can simply enjoy seeing the upcoming EV in clearer, closer photos than ever before. Rolls-Royce says the production car is coming in 2023, so we suspect there will be many more spy shots and small details released between now and then. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Going mobile: Custom Rolls-Royces inspired by British rock

A rockstar lifestyle and luxury cars go hand-in-hand. To recognize this and to celebrate some of the finest rock music created in Britain, Rolls-Royce will build nine bespoke Wraith models customized in the style of British rock stars. The first four cars in the "Wraith Inspired by British Music" series were unveiled at the Sanderson Hotel in London. The cars have been designed in collaboration with some of the most well-known names in British popular music, and Rolls-Royce says the stars were personally invited to the "Home of Rolls-Royce" in Goodwood, England. The first four cars were created with Roger Daltrey OBE of The Who, Sir Ray Davies of The Kinks and Giles Martin, the son of recently deceased music producer Sir George Martin, famed for the work he did with The Beatles among others. Behind the project is English artist Alistair Morrison, who is working on a series of British rockstar portraits. Daltrey helped to design two cars, first a Who-style Wraith and one fashioned for the band's rock opera "Tommy," with a hood that showcases the sleeve of the famous concept album. However, there is not yet word of a Keith Moon edition Wraith to be delivered into a swimming pool. Cars to be revealed later include a Status Quo Wraith designed with Francis Rossi, a Shirley Bassey Wraith with legendary 007 theme-song touches and a Ronnie Wood car designed to suit the Rolling Stones guitarist.

Rolls-Royce's CEO shares his 3 favorite details of the Spectre EV

Rolls-Royce's first electric car, the $420,000 Spectre, has arrived. At a press event marking the EV's launch, the brand's CEO, Torsten Muller-Otvos told Insider he's proud of what Rolls-Royce has achieved in a big-picture sense — by transplanting the essential character of a Rolls into a vehicle with a completely novel powertrain and fuel source. But when asked about his absolute favorite parts of the new model, a few smaller, more subtle details sprang to mind.  Those taillights Rolls-Royce is renowned for painstakingly making sure every detail on a vehicle is as elegant as possible. Look closely at the Spectre's taillights and you'll notice they're single, uninterrupted parts, plunged into a smooth, uninterrupted body panel. Rolls-Royce says this sophisticated look is meant to evoke "islands in a lake." Most cars' taillights are broken up by a trunk lid, or butt up against a gap in the bodywork. That makes things easier, the brand's design director, Anders Warming, said. But the Spectre isn't most cars.  Achieving that look and making sure everything was water-tight took lots of engineering, Muller-Otvos said.  "The effort we've put into those rear lights to give them that shape and also more or less stick them into the body was quite something," he said. "We finally got there, and it works." A grille? On an EV? What's a Rolls-Royce without its iconic, upright grille? It's such a recognizable design element that Rolls-Royce decided to keep it for the Spectre, even though there's no radiator or engine up front. "I also love the detail of the Pantheon grille, because that was also something not in any way debatable," Muller-Otvos said. "You might argue you don't need a grille because there is no cooling air needed, but obviously this is such a signifier of our brand that we said it's unthinkable not to have one." Muller-Otvos said the company went to great lengths to adjust the grille's design so it would deflect air around the car and aid aerodynamics. In an EV, every bit of drag you can eliminate adds driving range.  A brake pedal with a new feature Every new Rolls has doors that electronically swing shut at the push of a button. The Spectre introduces a new feature that makes things even more effortless. Now all you need to do is hop in and press the brake pedal, and the driver's door closes automatically.  Read the original article on Business Insider