Rolls Royce Spectre: Luxury is still not the solution

So it is, standing among other luxury cars in a parking lot north of Munich. A man from Rolls-Royce in a blazer and pocket square opens the large driver’s door and asks to sit in a white leather seat. He says that the door closes automatically when you press the brake pedal, walks around the large radiator, sits in the passenger seat and briefly describes the on-board computer. Then he comes out and waves to you and wishes you a good trip.

The journey is 804 km from Munich to Hamburg on a busy Friday in February. The car is the Rolls-Royce Specter, not only the first fully electric model from the British luxury brand, but also the fulfillment of a 124-year promise. Back in 1900, car founder Charles Stewart Rolls exclaimed: “The electric car it’s completely silent and clean. No smell, no vibration. Such cars could be very useful if permanent charging stations are possible.” Four years later he met the car manufacturer Henry Royce, who believed that the British could build better and more luxurious cars than the Europeans on the continent. In 1906 the two founded their joint brand, which is now part of the BMW Group. They developed gasoline engines that became quieter, roaring and smelling less than other cars. But his vision remained remote – until permanent charging stations came along.