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2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre First Drive: Electric Rolls is still a Rolls

The introduction of a new EV model usually represents a revolutionary moment for a car brand. The car is typically a departure from the norm, not just in fuel source but design and overall character. They’re usually a break from tradition and/or a beacon pointing in a whole new direction. Then thereÂ’s the new 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre. ThereÂ’s nothing about it that feels revolutionary, which largely speaks to what came before. WeÂ’re talking about a Rolls-Royce here. They were always whisper-quiet with a V12 engine judiciously doling out gobs of effortless torque without fanfare. You know, like electric motors do. Or rather, as electric motors can. Forget about sledgehammer-to-the-chest launches in the Spectre – Rolls-Royce specifically tuned the throttle to elegantly roll into its power, much as it did, partly by necessity, with a V12. You can imagine the torque curve looking more like an airplane taking off than a rocket. Once underway, speed builds rapidly and passes are made effortlessly. Again, like a V12. The Spectre also looks like a V12 could still be lurking beneath the vast bonnet even though it was 100% EV from the get-go. There was no effort to reimagine Rolls-Royce for the electric era with cab-forward proportions or “Blade Runner” styling cues. The front is sleeker to be sure, for the purposes of design and aerodynamics, with even the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament being nipped and tucked to eliminate turbulence that occurred behind the most recent rendition. The overall drag coefficient of 0.25 is certainly commendable for something that retains a blunt front end complete with the must-have “Pantheon” grille that ensures no one will mistake this for anything other than a Rolls-Royce. That it's softly illuminated by 22 LEDs ensures identification at all hours. 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre in Morganite pink action front three quarter View 32 Photos Once inside, you sit lower in the Spectre than past models, including the similarly two-door Wraith. The resulting view through the gun-slit windshield over the long, imposing hood and raised dashboard is reminiscent of pre-war, ultra-luxury cars from Rolls-Royce, Duesenberg and others. When I mentioned that observation to Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos, his eyes lit up as if to say, “Eureka!” That was exactly what Rolls was going for – it had nothing to do with the powertrain.

This exploding Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is angering, mesmerizing

Between Las Vegas and the emirates of the Persian Gulf, we're sure there are Rolls-Royces to be found in the desert all the time. And we don't doubt that, given those locations, one gets torched every so often. There'd probably even be someone in a tuxedo or evening gown running for cover when it happens, too. The thing is that we're seldom if ever there to watch it go down, much less capture it in stunning high-definition, frame-by-frame video when it does.
That's where this four-minute clip by Tyler Shields comes in. The American photographer and filmmaker staged and captured this Silver Shadow being doused in gasoline (or at least what we're supposed to believe is gasoline) and set afire in the Mojave Desert, along with actor Cru Ennis and actress Ana Mulvoy-Ten.
It's heartbreaking but mesmerizing, and you'll want to watch the video for yourself to see which side you fall on. If it's the former, take solace at least in the fact that the Silver Shadow is far from a rare beast. In fact, it remains by far the most prolific Rolls-Royce ever, with over 30,000 made between 1965 and 1980... so we doubt this one will be missed terribly.

Rolls-Royce signs deal to trial hybrid-electric train conversions

LONDON — Rolls-Royce has signed an agreement to conduct a trial conversion of diesel trains to hybrid-electric engines in Britain, in a deal which could be rolled out to hundreds of trains across the country starting in the 2020s. The British company, which is best known for making aircraft engines, said on Wednesday that its German Power Systems business had signed an agreement with Porterbrook, the UK's largest owner of passenger rolling stock. Rolls-Royce's Power Systems unit, which sells engines used on ships, yachts, trains, trucks, mining and nuclear power stations, is one of the fastest growing parts of the company, and its boss said hybrid technology is behind that. "We expect hybrid technology to grow at above the current growth rates of diesel," the CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, Andreas Schell, told Reuters. The Power Systems business is expected to post low double-digit revenue growth this year and is a bright spot in a company grappling with the negative headlines and cost of fixing a problem with its Trent 1000 aero-engines. Diesel trains can be fitted with Rolls-Royce Hybrid PowerPacks to turn them into hybrid trains that can also run on battery power, reducing carbon emissions and making them cheaper to run for operators while also making them much quieter when, for example, they approach stations. From RR's press release: The MTU Hybrid PowerPack is an environmentally friendly drive system which combines the advantages of diesel and battery-powered rail traction. The version for Porterbrook incorporates an MTU diesel engine which fulfils future EU Stage V emissions regulations; plus an electric machine, which can be used either as an electric motor or generator; and an MTU EnergyPack battery system, which stores the energy recovered during braking. This enables very low-noise, emissions-free battery-only electric operation in urban areas and around stations. The hybrid initiative comes as Britain seeks to phase out diesel-only trains by 2040. Adding the powerpacks to trains allows railway networks to be partially electrified without the need for expensive overhead infrastructure. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers says that 42 percent of Britain's rail network is currently electrified, which means that the country lags behind electrification rates in other European nations. Last year the British government scrapped electrification projects in some parts of the country, saying it would look to hybrid technology trains instead.