Spectre Black Badge is most powerful Rolls-Royce yet
Other colours are available
Rolls-Royce has given its Spectre electric coupé the Black Badge treatment, offering a darker and sportier style than the standard version, plus more performance.
The Black Badge has long been described as Rolls-Royce’s “alter-ego,” with a darker and more fashionable look intended to open the brand up to a new, younger cohort of customers.
Rolls-Royce has already applied the Black Badge treatment to other models in its range, including the Cullinan SUV, and the branding has been highly popular with customers looking for a little more attitude from their high-end luxury vehicle.
In the case of the Spectre, the Black Badge version gets the same dark exterior trim as the other Black Badge models, with a black grille surround, a black Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet mascot and black door handles, as well as black window surrounds and bumper accents. And the double-R badge is also finished in black.
Unlike other Rolls-Royce models, though, the Spectre is also offered with a painted Ice Black bonnet that can be contrasted with the brand’s 44,000 paint colour options, or a completely bespoke paint job reserved for the buyer’s exclusive use. On the Spectre Black Badge’s palette, however, is the Vapour Violet finish seen in these images, inspired by the club scene of the 1980s and 1990s, which is apparently “a celebrated reference among many Black Badge clients.”
Alongside all that, the Black Badge comes with five-spoke forged aluminium wheels of 23in diameter, with either all-black or part-polished finishes, while clients can commission a “waft” coachline that’s located on the lower half of the car.
Perhaps more subtle than the black touches, meanwhile, is a small tweak to the illuminated grille that sees a backplate introduced, offered in Tailored Purple, Charles Blue, Chartreuse, Forge Yellow and Turchese colours, allowing customers to add another layer of personalisation.
On the inside, customisation remains a key theme, but all Black Badge Spectres get a unique pattern on the illuminated fascia, and the infinity symbol common to all Black Badge models also makes an appearance. There’s also a Technical Fibre surface finish with a diamond-shaped weave of carbon and fine metal thread on a wood base.
In front of the driver, the instrument dials can be specified with a choice of five colour themes – Vivid Grellow, Neon Nights, Cyan Fire, Ultraviolet and Synth Wave – which supposedly allow clients to “harmonise the physical and digital surfaces” of the interior.
But for all this, some of the most important tweaks to the Black Badge versions of the Spectre can be found under the car’s skin. Rolls-Royce’s engineers have tweaked the chassis with extra roll stabilisation, allowing greater stability and responsiveness when cornering, while enhanced dampers also reduce the car’s “squatting” and “diving” motion under acceleration and braking, respectively. The steering has been tweaked, too, giving it a little more weight, but Rolls claims none of the changes has impacted the Spectre’s ride quality.
And perhaps even more important is the decision to tweak the electric powertrain. Taking inspiration from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin engine used in the Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane of WW2, the Spectre Black Badge has a power boost option for short bursts of performance. Accessed via an infinity button on the steering wheel, the Infinity Mode unlocks the full 650bhp might of the Spectre Black Badge.
The car also comes with something called Spirited Mode, which is essentially a launch control system. When the car is stationary, the driver engages it by pressing the brake and accelerator pedals simultaneously, then waits for a haptic and visual response to signal the car is ready, before releasing the brake. The system then temporarily increases maximum torque (twisting force) to 793lb ft.
With such torque available, the car can get from 0-60mph in just 4.1 seconds, but the Black Badge’s efficiency is officially unchanged, with a maximum range of 329 miles between charges.
“Black Badge Spectre is one of the clearest statements of power and purpose we have ever made,” said Chris Brownridge, the chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “It has been created in the image of our boldest and most audacious clients, with meticulous attention to detail.
“From the beginning of Black Badge Spectre’s journey, the clients who requested this extraordinary motor car dared us to share their fearless spirit. In response, our engineers combined data science, qualitative feedback, and their own deep knowledge of the brand’s alter ego to craft an intense and uncompromising character, and the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history. Reflecting the Black Badge character, our designers and artisans realised their most dramatic and provocative vision with vivid details and exquisite contemporary crafts.”
Related articles
- If you were interested in the new Rolls-Royce Spectre Black Badge, you may want to read our review of the Rolls-Royce Spectre
- You might like to read about the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy being redesigned for electric car age
- Did you know that Lunaz converted Sophia Loren’s Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud to electric power?
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