Rolls-Royce Black Badge Spectre Was Secretly Tested In The Real World By Eager Customers Who Couldn't Wait

It was inevitable that Rolls-Royce would be coming out with a more powerful Black Badge version of its Spectre EV — in fact, EPA filings confirmed its existing a year and a half ago. Now the model has been officially unveiled, with Rolls-Royce touting the Black Badge Spectre as the most powerful Rolls ever, but what really interests us is the story behind its development. Apparently, prospective buyers were so eager to get their hands on the Black Badge variant that Rolls-Royce built a secret group of test cars to give to a group of its best clients. They then helped the brand fine-tune the Black Badge Spectre ahead of its official release.

With 650 horsepower and 793 pound-feet of torque the Black Badge Spectre is the most powerful car Rolls-Royce has ever made, usurping the standard Spectre by 73 hp and 129 lb-ft. That full power is unlocked by a new Infinity mode, a nod to the infinity symbol that denotes Black Badge cars. Press the infinity button on the steering wheel and the peak power is made available, throttle response becomes more direct and the gauge cluster becomes more vibrant. 

This is also the first Rolls-Royce to have a launch control function, which the brand calls Spirited mode, and it's a lot easier to accomplish than in other cars. Just put one foot on the brake and the other on the throttle, wait for an indication in the cluster, and release the brake. The Black Badge Spectre will hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, three tenths quicker than a normal Spectre. With 22-inch wheels the Black Badge has a 266-mile range, 11 miles fewer than the standard car, while opting for the 23s drops that down to 251, only two miles down from the standard car with 23s.

Other Black Badge tweaks include heavier steering, tuned roll stabilization for greater feedback and less body roll, and upgraded dampers that reduce squat under heavy acceleration or deceleration. As with all other Black Badge models, all of the exterior brightwork gets a dark finish, including the Pantheon grille surround and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament. 

There are new 23-inch wheel designs, new coachline options that are lower down on the body, and 44,000 different colors, including the new Vapour Violet of the launch spec car that Rolls-Royce says is inspired by 1980s and '90s club culture, "a celebrated reference among many Black Badge clients." You can now get a matte black hood, and the illuminated grille is offered with backplates in Charles Blue, Chartreuse, Forge Yellow, Tailored Purple, and Turchese.

Rolls-Royce

The illuminated fascia on the dashboard has a new design made from 5,500 "stars" that's an abstract interpretation of the Spirit of Ecstasy, complete with that infinity symbol. A Technical Fibre trim option features black Bolivar wood with a diamond-shaped weave of carbon and fine metal thread laid on top of it by hand, which is then cured, sandblasted, sealed with six layers of lacquer and then hand-polished. The Infinity symbol is found in other places like the rear waterfall panel, and customers can choose five different color themes for the gauge cluster.

As for the unusual development regimen that I mentioned, here's what Rolls-Royce's director of engineering Dr. Bernhard Dressler had to say:

The development of Black Badge Spectre began with our deep understanding of engineering the uncompromising nature of the Black Badge character, overlaid with the detailed analysis of client feedback and their driving style. Black Badge owners from around the world permitted our specialists to access their anonymised data, enabling us to create a new driving experience perfectly suited to – and validated by – the way our clients use their motor car. Following internal development, a small tranche of 'secret' Black Badge Spectres was built for a group of clients who requested the earliest possible access to this motor car. They emphatically approved of our engineering response, highlighting the powerful connection between Rolls-Royce and its clients.

Those owners had to keep their participation secret until the official reveal, which Rolls-Royce called "a discreet introduction that resonated with the rebellious spirit of these individuals." Over the hundreds of thousands of miles logged, one insight the company noted was that the clients "exploited maximum power in short pulses more than over extended periods," which helped the engineers perfect the drivetrain.

Rolls-Royce also released some insights into owners of the "standard" Spectre, which has been on sale since the end of 2023. The company says the Spectre is typically the buyer's second Rolls in a seven-car garage, and owners have been driving the hell out of them. 

Rolls-Royce

Spectre owners drive about 4,000 miles per year on average, which is comparable to previous two-door Rolls-Royce models, and only a quarter of journeys are taken with someone in the passenger seat. That means the average owner will only need to fully charge their Spectre around 20 times a year, which is no problem as the vast majority of owners charge at home. 

There are certainly some outliers, though:

One client in Dubai has already completed more than 8,000 miles in their Spectre in a single year. Another, a renowned British entrepreneur, regularly drives their motor car on a 300-mile round trip between their business headquarters in Suffolk and the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood to review various commissions. Perhaps the most extensively driven Spectre belongs to a client in Slovakia, who commutes nearly 250 miles to Prague and has covered more than 6,000 miles in the first six months of ownership. They take particular pleasure in the electric motor car experience – having swapped coffee stops at traditional fuel stations for an elevated pause at a renowned café with a fast charger.Beyond its day-to-day usage, Spectre's dynamic capability is also shaping how clients interact with their motor cars. One client, based in Gstaad, Switzerland, was so compelled by Spectre's agility on the mountain passes of the region that they ordered a second motor car for use on the Corniche roads of the French Riviera, close to another of their properties in Monaco. Notably, this route was among those used by the marque's engineers during Spectre's Lifestyle Analysis testing phase, enabling critical refinements to the suspension and drivetrain to ensure the motor car met client expectations in the very environments where they would drive it.

Demand for the Spectre has apparently exceeded Rolls-Royce's expectations, too. It's the company's best-selling model in Europe and second best-selling car overall, and it has the second highest level of Bespoke content per car, coming in only after the Phantom. 

How much do you need to shell out if you want a Black Badge Spectre? A lot. Rolls-Royce says it'll start at $490,000 in the U.S., $70,000 more than a normal Spectre.