WE RIDE IN A SPECTRE TEST CAR
That Rolls-royce says development of the Spectre is only 25% complete is testament to how high its standards are for comfort and isolation, because it already has a level of ride comfort and noise isolation that many premium saloon makers would be proud of after only a few short weeks of road testing.
This much is clear from the passenger seat of Spectre test mule number six, where we are sat alongside Jörg Wunder, head of projects at
Rolls-royce, for a short drive on some of the icy roads on the outskirts of Arjeplog, Sweden, on the edge of the Arctic Circle.
Wunder is happy with progress so far. “It’s been a successful season, absolutely,” he says. “The car is good for the early stages with the right DNA.” From the passenger seat, that DNA seems to be carried over from any other Rolls-royce. The marque’s cars are the quietest and most comfortable out there. It’s a tick in that box based on this early progress.
There is also effortless on-demand torque, as well as safe, predictable handling, judging from the way Wunder calmly steers around the most slippery of corners, the car feeling confident and stable throughout.
Is there a temptation to dial up the Spectre’s handling, given how much performance is likely to be offered by the electric drivetrain, and the sophistication of its chassis systems, I ask him. “It’s a coupé, so we want it to handle, but it needs to be comfortable. Extremely sporty is not for our clients. We need to lean on comfort, we need to make the steering extremely precise, and you should feel safe by driving the car, not the car driving you.”
Testing is, of course, much