Rolls Royce unveils first electric vehicle

She is known to the world as the Spirit of Ecstacy. She is also called the Silver Lady, the Flying Lady, and Eleanor, to those on a first-name basis with her.

And for more than 100 years, she has stood atop the bonnet of each Rolls Royce since before the First World War.

And she now leans into the slipstream of the first electric Rolls Royce; the Spectre.

Rolls Royce unveils first electric vehicle

Rolls Royce unveils first electric vehicle

The luxury car maker today revealed for the first time in Australia, its first foray into the world of electric vehicles, or EV.

And today's launch is the first step in a pledge to have every Rolls Royce running on electric by 2030.

"The engineers have done two and a half million miles of testing," says Fred Whitwell, product specialist with the car maker, "and they do so, to make sure it drives like a Rolls."

The super coupe may be closing the book on the internal combustion engine, but the traditional luxuries and tailored experience remain.

"Every Rolls Royce is different," says Fred. "And the way that you commission it is then down to you; you can make it sporty, you can make it elegant, you can make it classic. Every Rolls Royce is bespoke."

And that applies to the dash trim, the coach doors, and the galaxy of pinprick lights inside, known as the Shooting Star Roofline.

"Every so often, you will see little star shoot over the roof," says Fred. "And what you can do is commission it based on a significant day or occasion; your anniversary, the day you bought your business, the day you sold it, all based on the correlation of what the stars were that night."

Rolls Royce unveils first electric vehicle

Rolls Royce unveils first electric vehicle

And Eleanor, who has stood on the bonnet for a century or more, has had a shuzz as well.

"So she's got a little more forward intent, leaning further than before. Over 800 hours was taken to redefine her from our engineering and designing departments, never mind the entirety of the car."

But you won't be getting the Spectre straight off the lot after trading in the Commodore.

The first Spectre was delivered to its English customer just last week, and the expectation in Australia, is that you could be waiting for between one and a half to two years, before you slip behind the wheel.

And that is after parting with $770,000 dollars. Plus on-road costs.

Don't complain; after all, you wanted a Rolls.

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