The Black Badge Spectre Is the Most Powerful Rolls-Royce Ever
Subtlety is not a reason that inspires people to purchase a Rolls-Royce. And while the all-electric Spectre might just be the most socially conscious of the brand's offerings, its customers have been clamoring for something with a bit more bite. The brand's response is the Spectre Black Badge, launching today as a purple-hued monster of a coupe that looks to the nightclubs of the Radwood era for its flair.
Still, with 659 hp from its dual motors and a retuned suspension at its disposal, the Black Badge Spectre promises to have some dance moves of its own. The steering has been adjusted for increased effort, while tweaked roll stabilization should improve feel and cornering flatness. The dampers have also been re-tuned to add a bit more athleticism to the mix, with a specific focus on reducing front-end pitch in acceleration.
That'll be important, as the model also comes equipped with a new launch control system called Spirited Mode. This mode unlocks the full 792 lb-ft of instant torque, helping propel the Spectre to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. There's also the new Infinity Mode, which allows instant access to the car's full 659 hp and a sharper throttle response. That sort of output, as it so happens, makes the Black Badge Spectre the most powerful Rolls-Royce yet.
Setting the Vapor Violet launch color aside for the moment, the Black Badge Spectre comes with some unique visual tweaks. The illuminated grille now features a colored backplate, with offerings of Tailored Purple, Charles Blue, Chartreuse, Forge Yellow, and Turchese. The backplate and the lighting combine to create a sort of glowing effect, which should make it even easier to identify the car at night.
A black-painted hood is also on offer, should you so choose, as is a new coachline stripe option. The optional 23-inch five-spoke wheels (22s are standard) are quite stylish, and can be had in either partially polished or all-black finish, depending on how sinister you want to look. All of the exterior trim has lost the shine found on their regular Spectre equivalent to keep with the theme, while the interior systems add bespoke Black Badge software.
The Black Badge Spectre isn't a cheap car. Rolls-Royce will ask $490,000 to start, but as with any Roller these days, the sky is always the limit from there. It might be worth it for the Vapor Violet alone... if you can ignore the 44,000 other colors on the offer list.
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