The Drive Report: Rolls-Royce Spectre Black Badge

In an age where luxury is defined by excess – Rolls-Royce reminds you that true luxury is always working behind the scenes.

Sitting in a Rolls-Royce is truly distinct in ways that no other automotive experience is. Everything about it is designed to disconnect you from the sensory assault of everyday life – the suspension makes the car practically float above even the roughest surface, the cabin is quiet enough to qualify as a different dimension. In an age where luxury is defined by excess – Rolls-Royce reminds you that true luxury is always working behind the scenes. The screens aren’t too large, there aren’t any driving modes or customisable settings; true luxury adapts to your every driving need, entirely on its own accord.

The Spectre is all that and more. As the brand’s new two-door coupé flagship, it offers driver engagement that the likes of the Phantom and the Cullinan do not. It’s still imposingly large, like a beautiful Baroque monument on wheels, but it is an electric car – the brand’s first-ever – and, as such, it comes with previously unimaginable levels of power. That, along with a sub Rs 10 crore price tag means that it is the most exclusive of grand tourers. Still, the Rolls-Royce experience is also about realising that there are no limits to exclusivity. And that’s where the latest car – the Spectre Black Badge steps-in.

The Black Badge Spectre performs the seemingly impossible task of extracting more from the car with the most. More power for instance, as it unlocks 10% more torque from the bog-standard version. This may not seem like much, until you consider the original torque figure surges past the 900 Nm mark, giving this 1065 Nm of planet-spinning, tyre-shredding torque. Thankfully, Rolls-Royce has worked with Pirelli to create a special tyre compound that can take the abuse doled-out by the two axle-mounted motors. It’s up on horsepower too, by 72 bhp, totalling up to 650 bhp, making this the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever made.

But the Black Badge Spectre is more than just electrified brawn. It’s a meticulously tailored expression of individuality. Take the striking 23-inch forged aluminium wheels, or the 44,000 available paint colours — including the exclusive Vapour Violet, a nod to the neon glow of 1980s discotheques – and you have barely scratched the surface of the Rolls-Royce bespoke experience. The Spirit of Ecstasy, now blacked out, pierces through the air with sinister elegance. Even the diffuser and door handles embrace the dark allure that defines the Black Badge treatment.

Then there’s the drive. Hurling the Spectre around Barcelona’s ParcMotor circuit was a surreal experience. Watching the Spirit of Ecstasy slice through the air at 170 kph wasn’t on my checklist of likely scenarios. Yet there it was — three tonnes of unapologetic opulence, bending the laws of inertia. Rolls-Royce has conjured some sorcery with its Black Badge-specific suspension tuning. The massive 700kg battery anchors the Spectre with a low center of gravity, keeping it astonishingly flat through corners. This is due to the fact that the engineers have tweaked the damping on the adaptive air suspension so it’s stiffer now, but only when it needs to be.

The steering, too, has been recalibrated. Heavier than the standard Spectre, it lends a welcome sense of connection. Engage the aptly named “Infiniti Mode” — via a discreet steering-mounted button — and the full reservoir of torque is unleashed. The resulting acceleration is both exhilarating and absurd. The Spectre hurtles forward with the eerie calm of a luxury spaceship, emitting a sci-fi hum reminiscent of a distant star cruiser. It’s even more effective when you engage launch control, or what Rolls-Royce calls “Spirit mode”, which is where you stomp on the brakes, mash the throttle and let go of the brakes, while in “Infiniti mode”, and brace yourself as this 3-tonne behemoth is catapulted towards the horizon.

On the open road, the Spectre returns to its natural state of majestic serenity. The ride is less driving, more levitating. There’s no simulated engine growl to disrupt the peace. Instead, the car crafts an atmospheric soundscape — a low, orchestral thrum that evolves with your speed. Even the regenerative braking has a touch of Rolls-Royce finesse. You can adjust it using the “B” mode on the transmission stalk, but even without it, the immense mass is tamed with grace.

The Rolls-Royce Spectre Black Badge looms large over hyper-luxury GTs. It’s got infinite reserves of power, and torque, it indulges your senses like no other car – it is the benchmark against which all other mere mortal vehicles are judged. While purchasing one is out of the question for everyone except the world’s 0.0001 percent, driving one is a reminder of just how far automotive technology has come. Is the Spectre Black Badge likely to frequent racetracks? No. In the same way the Rolex DeepSea is unlikely to visit the depths of the ocean. The Spectre Black Badge exists purely as a showcase of possibilities. And when put to the test, it delivers spectacularly.