The first ever electric Rolls-Royce is inspired by haute couture, nautical design and British tailoring

“The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.”

This might sound like something tweeted by Elon Musk in the previous decade, but these words are quoted from the year 1900 by Charles Stewart Rolls, co-founder of Rolls-Royce.

All those years ago he prophesied an electric luxury car, and after more than 120 years the prophecy has now finally been fulfilled with this new Rolls-Royce Spectre, the marque’s first ever all-electric car and arguably the finest luxury vehicle ever made, designed for pure comfort, opulence, and of course perfectly silent motoring.

The designers in Crewe where the car was created call this Spectre an Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé, single-handedly setting the precedent in an entirely new class of car. And you can see why it needs its own designation, with the Spectre’s rather indulgent proportions living up to Rolls-Royce commitment to space as the ultimate luxury - the Rolls-Royce Spectre is nearly five-and-a-half metres long, it’s well over two metres wide, and it weighs some three tonnes, about a quarter of which accounts for the batteries.

The Spectre is inspired by far more than the traditional context of the motor car world, and the marque’s designers drew deeply from the worlds of haute couture, modernist sculpture, nautical design, tailoring and contemporary art. The incredibly aerodynamic Spectre has an air drag coefficient ratio comparable to the most economic cars thanks to its shape inspired by modern yachts.

For the bespoke interior customers can choose just about whatever finishes and materials they wish for. Rolls-Royce says the seats were inspired by British tailoring, with lapels and contrasting stitching as well as embroidery, and intricate piping all considered as options.

“At Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, perfection is about more than making the very best products,” says Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “It is a culture, an attitude and our guiding philosophy. Indeed, it is our founding father Sir Henry Royce who said, ‘strive for perfection in everything you do’. Spectre has been conceived within this culture. It is perfectly in tune with the sensibilities of our time. It states the direction for the future of our marque and perfectly answers a call from the most discerning individuals in the world to elevate the electric motor car experience, because Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second.”