► Black Badge edition of Spectre electric coupe
► Upgrades include Rolls version of launch control
► New wheels and cosmetic changes too
The new Black Badge Spectre is the most powerful production Rolls-Royce car ever. It peaks at 650bhp and 793lb ft, up from the 664bhp and 577lb ft outputs of the regular Spectre, the super-luxury electric super-coupe that arrived in 2023 and came close to being the company’s best seller last year.
Black Badge is the largely but not entirely cosmetic treatment that Rolls offers as an alternative treatment on most of its models, making them appeal to a generally younger bunch of buyers, many of them buying a Rolls for the first time.
In the case of the Spectre, the Black Badge treatment involves new colour options including Vapour Violet, inspired by the neon-lit 1980s and ’90s nightclubs remembered fondly by customers, according to Rolls’ research. There’s a new design of 23-inch wheel. There’s a new backplate behind the grille, in a choice of colours.
The steering weight has been increased and roll stabilisation adjusted to give more feedback and less bodyroll. Other Rolls-Royces have Low mode, which is a bit like a sport mode: it increases gearchange speeds, and holds on to lower gears longer when you’re accelerating. But the Spectre doesn’t have a gearbox.
As the first electric Black Badge, this presents a whole new world of software-facilitated possibilities. Hence Infinity mode. Press the infinity symbol on the steering wheel and the full 650bhp is available, with more direct throttle response too.
And there’s also another innovation, Spirited mode, named after the Merlin engine from the now-separate aero part of Rolls-Royce, as used in the Supermarine Spitfire and elsewhere. In the plane, pushing a switch would give a burst of extra power. In the case of the Black Badge Spectre it’s launch control by another name. You hold the brake and accelerator pedals full down, wait for the signal then release the brake and head for the horizon. The 0-60mph time drops from 4.4 to 4.1sec.
Engineering chief Bernhard Dressler said the upgrade was shaped in part by analysing data (accessed with the drivers’ permission) showing how Black Badge cars tend to be driven. Any extra performance is, this research revealed, used only in short bursts.
The official WLTP efficiency figure is 2.6-2.8 miles per kWh, with a range of 306-329 miles – in both cases, the same as for the regular Spectre. Actually, use the full torque and power for long and the range will plummet.
Does it work? And if so, do the extra flamboyance and performance come at a price? And does it somehow stop the Spectre being a true Rolls-Royce? All being well, we drive it soon.