Rolls-Royce Spectre EV puts the Spirit of Ecstasy on an electric diet

The Rolls-Royce Spectre is not only the first all-electric vehicle from Goodwood. It’s also the first Rolls-Royce to get the brand’s updated Spirit of Ecstacy hood ornament, a defining figure on all Rolls-Royce motor cars since 1911.

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Commemorating the imminent launch of Spectre – and celebrating 111 years since the Spirit of Ecstacy was first registered as intellectual property on February 6, 1911 – is a redesigned version of Rolls-Royce’s iconic mascot, carefully reshaped to symbolize the dawn of all-electric, ultra-luxury motoring.

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“More than just a symbol, she is the embodiment of our brand and a constant source of inspiration and pride for the marque and its clients,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Like our brand, she has always moved with the times while staying true to her nature and character.”

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The new Spirit of Ecstacy has a lower and more dynamic stance to represent The Expression, Rolls-Royce’s unique visual language for the electrified realm. According to Rolls-Royce, the figurine is now a closer representation of the original 20th-century drawings penned by her original creator Charles Robinson Sykes.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

It now stands shorter at 3.26-inches (82.73 mm) than the outgoing emblem’s 3.94-inch (100.1 mm) height. Part of this has something to do with the ornament’s stance. Whereas the current Spirit of Ecstacy stood with both feet together, legs straight, and tilting slightly at the waist, the new model has one leg forward with her body tucked lower. Rolls-Royce claims the changes were not merely stylistic in function, offering “remarkable” aerodynamic benefits, too.

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Rolls-Royce anticipates Spectre to be the most aerodynamic vehicle it has created. Early prototypes registered a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.26, and the brand expects its reshaped Spirit of Ecstacy to further enhance the car’s slipperiness. For instance, the emblem’s “wings” – commonly mistaken for wings when, in fact, those are robes fluttering in the wind – have a new shape to enhance its aero efficiency as it strikes the wind.

Furthermore, Rolls-Royce will manufacture the new Spirit of Ecstacy emblems using the world’s oldest known casting technique: lost wax casting or “cire-perdue.” Of course, Rolls-Royce artisans will finish each new Spirit of Ecstacy by hand, ensuring each will be “minutely different from figurine to figurine” despite being reshaped using 830 hours of computer modeling and wind-tunnel testing.

The new Spirit of Ecstacy will enter duty in the incoming Spectre EV, due to arrive by late 2022 or early 2023. It will also appear on all future Rolls-Royce vehicles after that, although the automaker claims the current Ghost, Phantom, Dawn, Wraith, and Cullinan will continue using the existing Spirit of Ecstacy hood badge.