Pure electric romance under a century-old prophecy – test drive Rolls-Royce Shining | CAR REVIEWS

As early as a century ago, the founder of Rolls-Royce made a bold prediction in a magazine article: "Electric cars are extremely quiet and clean. They drive without any smell or vibration. Once fixed charging stations become possible, they will will become very useful." More than a century later, Specter came along to make this vision a reality.

As early as a century ago, the founder of Rolls-Royce made a bold prediction in a magazine article: "Electric cars are extremely quiet and clean. They drive without any smell or vibration. Once fixed charging stations become possible, they will will become very useful." More than a century later, Specter came along to make this vision a reality.

As the most "quiet" creation in Rolls-Royce's history, Specter can arouse endless reverie from the moment you see its name. Until this Shining parked quietly in front of me, waiting for me to drive it, I still had a very unreal feeling. I can't look at it or even judge it based on my previous experience. In the face of art, all we can do is appreciate it silently...

A straight hand-drawn soul waistline divides the Shining into two parts. It is hard to imagine that a pure electric model can also have such elegant lines. Artists from Goodwood combine high fashion, modernist sculpture, nautical design, and high-end Custom tailoring and even contemporary art are integrated into the design of the car. Along the visually impactful vertical front lines, the Shining's fastback shape comes into view, which is inspired by classic cars and racing boats. The smooth roofline further enhances the Shining's excellent aerodynamic performance.

Moving back along the roofline, the Shining's taillights are placed on the largest single-body side panel ever built by Rolls-Royce, which extends from the A-pillar to the trunk. The Shining’s vertical taillights feature a neutral, colorless design to match Bespoke’s nearly unlimited body color options. In order to match the slender body profile, the Shining is the first mass-produced Rolls-Royce coupe equipped with 23-inch wheels in the past century.

The Parthenon front grille, the widest in the history of Rolls-Royce, shines brightly, especially at night. The air intake grille blades made of polished stainless steel are more delicate and smooth, and are softly illuminated by 22 LED light sources. The backside of the sandblasted front grille leaves emit a mysterious light like a ghost. The "Goddess of Ecstasy" statue standing in front of the car has been newly designed with a more forward-leaning posture and better aerodynamic characteristics. It was created after 830 hours of design modeling and wind tunnel testing. Ultimately, the Rolls-Royce Shining has a drag coefficient as low as 0.25Cd, making it the most aerodynamic of all Rolls-Royce cars. Continuing downwards, the split headlights have been an iconic feature of Rolls-Royce for many years, and the Shining pays homage to the classic Phantom Coupe with this visual feature.

Open the doors of the largest Rolls-Royce car ever built. Sit in the Shining in a unique way of Rolls-Royce, and above your head is a bright "starry sky" created by 4796 soft light points. If customers wish, they can also choose from a variety of different wood Canadel door panels made with exquisite craftsmanship. This is also the first time that Rolls-Royce has spread the "starry sky" on the door. The Shining's private interior space provides the perfect "canvas" for Rolls-Royce Bespoke advanced customization. The starlight panel in front of the co-pilot continues the ethereal night sky theme. More than 5,500 stars were developed on the starlight panel that took more than 10,000 man-hours to develop. "Stars" shine around the "Spectre" word mark. The starlight panel is located on the center console in front of the front passenger. It will be lit up when the vehicle is started. The beautiful effect is unmatched by any interior ambient lighting. of.

The design of the front seats is inspired by British tailoring, and the lapels under the seat backs can be customized in color. The luxurious digital architecture called SPIRIT can manage various functions of the car and extend Bespoke advanced customization to the virtual world. For example, you can choose a dashboard color that perfectly matches the vehicle's exterior and interior colors.

As Rolls-Royce themselves say: The Shining is a Rolls-Royce first and a pure electric car second. In The Shining, you can find all the fine traditions of Rolls-Royce, supreme luxury, extraordinary heritage and the purest craftsmanship. Of course, the Bespoke advanced customization that symbolizes the highest courtesy means that it is handed over to you. The work is still unique in the world.

The Shining’s test mileage before leaving the factory exceeds 2.5 million kilometers.

It simulates the driving mileage of a Rolls-Royce for more than 400 years.

As for driving, I want to review the basic stats of The Shining first. The power system includes two independent excitation synchronous motors. The front motor can output 190 kW of power and 365 N·m of torque, and the rear motor can output 360 kW of power and 710 N·m of torque. In terms of performance, this is equivalent to an internal combustion engine with an output of 430 kW and a peak torque of 900 Nm. The Shining accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds. The battery pack has a capacity of 102 kWh and can provide a pure electric range of 530 kilometers (WLTP). And through the 195-kilowatt DC fast charging device, the Shining can be charged from 10% to 80% in only 34 minutes, and each additional 100 kilometers of cruising range only takes about 9 minutes.

According to statistics, the average Rolls-Royce owner owns at least 7 cars for use on different occasions. The average annual mileage of Rolls-Royce models is 5,100 kilometers. Then converted to daily mileage, so do Rolls-Royce owners really care about battery life? The conclusion is self-evident. What's more, the 530 kilometers (WLTP) battery life is enough to meet most travel scenarios.

The yacht-like driving experience is the same, but compared to the previous V12 internal combustion engine, the Shining is too quiet. A lot of silent materials are used in places that we can't see, and even the slightly sharp buzzing sound of the motor is handled meticulously. Tire noise, wind noise and even the noise outside the car window were completely isolated. I could even hear my own heartbeat while holding my breath.

The Shining is the most technologically connected car Rolls-Royce has ever produced, capable of sending and receiving three times the number of signals than previous Rolls-Royce models. In order to ensure the stability of various data, Shining conducted 2.5 million kilometers of vehicle testing, covering various extreme terrain and temperature environments, simulating a vehicle's normal use mileage of up to 400 years. In the 2.5 million-kilometer test project, thousands of features of the Shining's power system and chassis have been rigorously tested and continuously improved. The result is a Rolls-Royce that is mature enough to successfully represent the pinnacle of excellence, luxury and performance.

As the first pure electric car in the history of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars,

The Rolls-Royce Shining proves that pure electric technology is mature enough.

Whether it is Phantom or Ghost, from Cullinan to Specter, any Rolls-Royce has no shortage of gorgeous words to praise it. Anyone who can own these stunning works is undoubtedly lucky. The added value it brings far exceeds the original attributes of the car. During the short time I spent with The Shining, I was indulged in the luxurious space that The Shining created for me more than once. I played with the gorgeous starry sky ceiling, listened to the top sound effects brought by ETON speakers for a while, or collapsed without doing anything. On top of the handcrafted top-quality leather seats...as for those inconsequential "work", they have long been forgotten.

Text/Li Pengyi Picture/Cao Nan