Jeff Sutton and LegacyEV’s Maverick Knoles walk through several classic car EV conversions at its headquarters in Phoenix. Although LegacyEV does not directly perform the conversions, it offers distribution, EV conversion kits and training for those interested in converting one’s classic vehicle to an electric vehicle.
Check out Jeff’s latest 4K video and many others at AutoHunter Cinema’s YouTube channel.
Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this restored 1966 Volkswagen Beetle 1300.
“During the restoration process, the Ruby Red body’s patina was left intact,” the listing states. “Features include chrome bumpers with overriders, a driver-side mirror, a luggage rack, rubber-covered running boards, a single-piece rear window, and dual exhaust outlets.”
The interior features new white vinyl seat covers, door panels, and matching headliner complemented by black carpeting and body-color sheet metal. Amenities include a Bendix Sapphire I push-button radio, and a hidden Bluetooth audio system with four two-way coaxial speakers and a subwoofer.
This VW’s five-digit analog odometer shows 42 miles, reflective of the mileage accrued since the restoration was completed. The actual mileage on this Beetles’ chassis is unknown.
It’s powered by a 1,285-cc flat-four engine with a single-barrel carburetor. The engine is paired with a four-speed manual transmission.
The selling dealer states that the suspension has been upgraded. This Volkswagen Beetle rides on 15-inch five-spoke wheels with 135R15 Nankang CX668 front and 165/80R15 all-season rear tires.
The sale includes a clear title and a skateboard.
This 1966 Volkswagen Beetle 1300’s auction ends on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT)
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery.
Date: May 1968
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Source: via Archives de la Ville de Montreal / Flickr
What do you see here?
Work continues apace on Project Rampart, our ultimate track-support vehicle using a 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat as a 700hp base. Last month, we showed you some of the parts and pieces to make it live up to its claims. This month, we’re adding exhaust, push bars, lighting, and more. Though the intention of this rig is race support, its debut will be at this year’s SEMA Convention in Las Vegas. Can the revamped Durango make it to the Dodge booth at SEMA on time? (Spoiler warning: Yes, it will.)
The exhaust is a custom arrangement designed by Unique, featuring custom stock-diameter mandrel-bent tubing, mufflers built in-house, and twin 2.5-inch exhaust tips side-exiting from the rear bumper cover. According to builder Neil Tjin, “We usually custom-build mufflers for Porsches and Ferraris, but for the Durango, we didn’t want them to be so loud and super-obnoxious.” The mufflers are located just behind the bumper on each side.
The plan was to have a pair of 2.5-inch exhaust tips exiting through the side of the rear bumper cover. Unique used CAD software to illustrate a template to accommodate the size of the hole to be cut.
The template was designed so the hole would accommodate both custom tips. Once careful measurements were made (the “measure twice, cut once” mantra was in full effect when handling the custom-wrapped bumper cover), the template was placed and marked off, with the holes cut.
The exhaust relief surrounds are simple sheet steel, powder coated black to match the exhaust tips and the bumper bars, then riveted in place. The sound is aggressive, but not annoying, and the look is tough.
The front bar needed to not only look good, but also had to be capable of acting as a push bar should the situation demand it (i.e., a broken car at the top end of the track). This was hand-fabricated from 1-3⁄4-inch steel tubing to match the contours of the Durango’s nose, and Unique also made sure to include attachment points for the Rigid lights.
Mandrel-bent to fit and MIG-welded at the joins, the fabricated bars would show any imperfection beneath the powder coating, so of course there aren’t any. Maverick Powdercoating in Anaheim, California, took care of making sure all of the added finishes were uniformly matte black.
The end result looks like it should have been there all along. The quartet of Rigid lights is attached, hooked up, and functional. For added durability, the front push bar has six separate attachment points on the frame rails.
The side steps, fully capable of allowing even the beefiest of pilots a step-up into the cabin, are attached to chassis pinch welds at the far ends of the bar. Though not shown here, these will also be powder coated black to match the front and rear bars, and to give visual continuity to the end pieces.
The rear bar, made from the same 1-3⁄4-inch steel tubing as the front and similarly fabricated in-house and finished to the same high degree, saw its contours dictated in part by the trailer hitch receiver. It also allows for a step to reach items stored on the roof rack. The bar has four attachment points fastened to the frame rails.
“Tough, subtle, functional” was the motif of the entire project. The bottom rail wraps around the lower bumper and ends at the trailing edge of the wheel opening. Keeping it black also helps disguise the molded-in lower fascia exhaust reliefs, meant to clear an exhaust that no longer exits there.
The roof rack is being handled by Brian Stevens and the DeLux Customs crew out of St. George, Utah; it’s well on its way to being complete and will be powder coated and installed soon enough.
Given that Project Rampart is to be a well-equipped, modern race-support unit, a modern approach to pit transport will be included in the form of a Super 73 Z1 electric bicycle. Neil sent Project Rampart’s silent pit cruiser to Blur Boundaries of Newport Beach, California, for some visual tweaks. Mechanicals were left alone for the time being, but Blur Boundaries included a variety of bespoke, one-off 3D-printed items, including new custom wheel covers, pedals, hand grips, handlebar, chain, pedals, red LED headlamp, and a black leather seat with diamond-type red stitching. The acrylic-mesh piece that fills the void in the frame has a hexagonal theme that ties in with the Durango’s grille.
Conjuring up images of the popular minibikes of half a century ago, the Super 73 Z1 features a 500-watt motor, 36-volt Panasonic battery (stored under the seat), a two-amp charger, a steel frame, a 20-mph top speed, and a thumb throttle to make cruising the pits easy. Unless you enjoy hot-dogging it, range (about 15 miles) shouldn’t be an issue.
In our last issue, we showed you the awesome custom 20 x 10.5- inch Vossen HF-5 wheels in Satin Bronze. As we were going to press, the tires arrived: the only set of 295/45R20 (stock size, as per Dodge’s request) Falken Azenis FK460 all-season rubber that you’ll see at SEMA this year. Wheel Warehouse in Orange, California, is seen here assembling the formidable footwear.
No hard proof exists to say that Chrysler intended to build a four-door E-body in the early Seventies. For that matter, no hard proof exists to say that Chrysler didn’t, either. Dave Walden, however, believed in the idea so much that he decided to build a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda with two extra doors more or less from scratch. The resulting car, the only known four-door Barracuda in the world, will soon come up for auction.
According to the blog that Walden kept to document the car’s build, he had already finished a few factory-correct restorations of other muscle-era Mopars and pony cars and was looking to do something different for his next project. In September 2010, he came across a rendering of a bluish-gray four-door Barracuda—Walden didn’t specify whether it was a factory rendering, so it very well may have been one of Aaron Beck’s E-body photochops, which Beck had posted in March of that year—and subsequently decided that the rendering needed to become reality.
Beck’s vision specified a Barracuda—not a ‘Cuda, which would have been a bridge too far, even for a photochopper accustomed to altering reality—powered by a 383 under a flat hood and fitted with redline tires on steelies with pie-pan caps. (For what it’s worth, he also included a four-door Barracuda woodie station wagon and even a two-door Challenger hearse in his collection of renderings.) More significantly, Beck also decided his what-if four-door Barracuda deserved a pillarless hardtop treatment. Walden decided to take the build in a slightly different direction, envisioning a pillared sedan with a rally hood, Gator Grain vinyl top, and Lemon Twist Yellow paint.
To determine just how the four-door Barracuda could be built, Walden consulted with metal shaper Steve Been. The two determined that, rather than start with an existing E-body shell, they needed to base the car on a four-door car, specifically a 1971-1974 B-body Dodge Coronet or Plymouth Satellite. They found a stripped 1972 Coronet four-door in Clay Kossuth’s Mopar salvage yard and decided to build upon that car’s roof, A-pillars, B-pillars, and partial rockers.
In researching what they’d need to build the car, Walden said they came across a tantalizing bit of hearsay. “[Steve] stumbled across an article written by Roger Johnson,” Walden wrote. “We didn’t know who Roger was and had never spoken with him at that time. In the article, Roger described a red four-door Barracuda parked on a loading dock behind the Highland Park Chrysler Headquarters. This occurred sometime in early fall of 1969.” Johnson, a mailroom employee for Chrysler, couldn’t provide photos, documentation, or any further context for his sighting, but the report boldened Walden, who decided to alter his plans for his four-door Barracuda to reflect Johnson’s recollection as much as possible.
(A brief article in the October 1969 issue of Mechanix Illustrated mistakenly—or perhaps not—reported that the upcoming 1970 Plymouth Barracuda would be available in convertible, two-door hardtop, and four-door hardtop body styles. Walden also pointed to proposed four-door Camaros and Mustangs to defend the idea as not so outlandish.)
The work on the car commenced in late 2013 with Been grafting what appear to be reproduction E-body quarter panels, wheel wells, trunk panel, cowl, windshield frame, and front sheetmetal to the skeleton of the Coronet. He shortened not only those quarter panels but also a pair of reproduction E-body doors to make room for the rear doors, which he constructed from the rear section of an E-body door and the forward section of an E-body quarter panel. According to Walden, nothing that went into the body construction—not even the Coronet donor parts—escaped the welder or hammer and dolly as he, Been, and Rock Bommarito spent the next few years getting it all to fit.
“Every single body panel was altered and no longer exhibits a ‘factory’ fit,” Walden wrote. “They had to have flat metal pieces added, sections removed and alterations of some sort to provide a correct fit. Many other pieces were fabricated from flat metal stock by using body hammers, English wheels, and heat for shaping. Even the door hinges were altered to work with the custom doors. Not a single exterior panel will fit any other vehicle built by Chrysler.” Similarly, much of the trim and interior required modification, adjustments, or custom fabrication to fit Walden’s “what-if” vision, particularly around the rear doors and rear seat.
As Walden noted, many of the design decisions he and Been made during the car’s construction—such as the height of the roof—proved controversial, but were ultimately necessary to build a functioning and finished car.
“We did not take the ‘easy way out’ and construct something using shortcuts,” he wrote. “I learned that sitting in a chair verbalizing the ‘obvious’ was nothing like building and engineering the real thing. While the light blue/gray Artist’s rendering of the 4 Door Barracuda looks appealing, that appearance would never work in actual design.”
Perhaps more controversial was Walden’s decision to consider himself the original manufacturer of the car and to have the state of Montana issue a brand new VIN (BH41H0B100000) to the car. (That VIN, for what it’s worth, is a portmanteau of sorts of the Barracuda series and trim level—BH—and the B-body four-door sedan’s body number —41—along with the H-code 340, the 0 for the 1970 model year, and B for Hamtramck assembly.) He followed that up by taking out a U.S. design patent (D831539S1) on the car, calling it his own design, and photoshopping the four-door Barracuda into the 1970 Plymouth brochure and Barracuda ads. He even mocked up a window sticker for the car reflecting the 340, Torqueflite, power brakes, tilt wheel, and vinyl roof he fitted to the car and then printed out a number of broadcast sheets that he then distributed throughout the car in locations that Chrysler was known to leave them.
In total, Walden said the car took more than 10,000 man-hours to complete. It debuted at Mopars at the Strip in 2017 before going on to appear at Chryslers at Carlisle, that year’s SEMA show, and the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. Walden died of cancer in July 2019 at the age of 58.
The Barracuda has since made its way to the Gary Edwards Mopar collection, which includes no less than seven 1969 Dodge Daytonas—including the Big Willie Robinson Duke and Duchess Daytona—and five 1970 Plymouth Superbirds, all of which will cross the block as part of Mecum’s Kissimmee sale in January. No pre-auction estimate for the four-door Barracuda was available.
Mecum’s Kissimmee auction will take place January 4 to 15, 2023. For more information, visit mecum.com.
While the modern-day Audi’s beginnings were relatively humble—it was a postwar Mercedes-Benz cast-off that Volkswagen purchased to gain production capacity— the automaker soon established a reputation for advanced design, cutting-edge technology, and motorsports prowess. By the late 1980s, Audi executives were no longer content to watch Mercedes-Benz and BMW enjoy all the income and prestige that their flagship S-Class and 7-series sedans brought to the German luxury car market. Audi achieved numerous firsts when it debuted its own flagship V8, establishing the respected model line now in its fifth generation.
The third-generation C-platform 100/5000 had been a sales success for Audi, ushering in the marque’s sleek aerodynamic styling and providing an executive-class home for its rally-proven quattro all-wheel-drive system. That large sedan provided the base for the V8, and the new flagship model cost Audi 50 million deutschmarks to develop before its 1988 home-market introduction. While the D1-chassis V8 looked similar to its five-cylinder sibling, they reportedly shared only door skins; the pricier model wore more emphatically flared wheel arches, a hood incorporating the grille, and full width, red-tinted tail-lamps. Inside, the new car borrowed the 100/200’s stylish new flowing dashboard with comprehensive instrumentation, albeit fitted with more burl-walnut trim. Everything was standard equipment, from heated comfort or sport front seats to the armrest-mounted cellular telephone; the sole extra-cost option was Audi’s trademark Pearl White metallic paint.
Photo courtesy of Brian Skorski
It was under the fully galvanized skin that the V8 differed most, starting with its eponymous engine. That all-aluminum V-8 used four overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder; in early form, it displaced 3.6-liters and made 240 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque. The V-8 was paired with a four-speed automatic transmission with selectable economy, sport, and manual shift modes; this was a first for this automaker because, to that point, its quattro permanent all-wheel-drive system could only be backed by a manual transmission. U.S. V8 buyers could opt for a manual gearbox during the 1991 model year, when Audi imported a tiny number (believed fewer than 80!) that mated the 3.6 with a five-speed and an additional TORSEN differential at the center, working with the standard rear unit. Four-wheel, ABS-equipped disc brakes with unusual internal-caliper rotors enthusiasts dubbed “UFO” offered more surface area and fit inside the 15-inch BBS alloy wheels.
Competition in the luxury market was heating up with the Infiniti Q45 and Lexus LS400, so Audi gave its individualistic flagship more gravitas in 1992 via a 4.2-liter engine making 276 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This helped performance, but the circa-3,900-pound sedan wasn’t racy in standard form. It certainly was in competition form, though, as Audi’s V8 quattro won the German Touring Car Championship in both 1990 and 1991.
Around 21,000 V8s were built between 1988 and 1993, including a small number of long-wheelbase sedans, and fewer than 4,000 were sold in the U.S. While this model didn’t make big inroads with American luxury car buyers, it showed Audi was a serious player, forced the competition to offer all-wheel drive, and Ingolstadt’s next stab—the aluminum space frame A8— cemented its legend.
Photo courtesy of Brian Skorski
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: DOHC V-8, 3,562 / 4,172-cc (217.4 / 254.6-cu.in.)
Horsepower: 240-276 at 5,800 rpm
Torque: 245-295 at 4,000 rpm
Transmission: Four-speed automatic or five-speed manual
Suspension: MacPherson strut and coil spring front; double-wishbone and coil spring rear
Brakes: Four-wheel discs
Wheelbase: 106.1 inches
Curb weight: 3,770 – 3,991 pounds
Top speed: 146 / 155 mph
Cost: new (1990) $47,450 2022 equivalent $107,560
Photo courtesy of Audi AG
If this 1984 Chevrolet Chevette CS listed for sale on Hemmings.com isn’t the most well-preserved example of the most representative Chevette, I’m not sure what is. The original owner may have sprung for an option or two—Chevette experts chime in here to note any options you see—but with a manual transmission, crank windows, no power brakes or steering, two doors, and an AM radio, it’s hard to see how the car could have come much cheaper. Typically, this is the kind of car most people buy to run into the ground by commuting over long distances with minimal-to-zero maintenance, but this one was actually treasured by its original owner, who undercoated it, stored it indoors, put vanishingly few miles on it, and generally treated it like a highly optioned Buick rather than an econobox. It’s not perfect after all these years, but it still has a lot more going for it than 99 percent of the Chevettes still out there. From the seller’s description:
All original. Clean green title. My mom bought this Chevette brand new, her “blue jewel,” and put it away in the barn only a few years later all covered with sheets and blankets inside and out. She had it out a few times since to change the oil, start it, wax it, drive it a little, then put it back away “to save it.” It is the CS version with the 1.6 liter 4 cylinder engine and manual 4 speed transmission, cloth seats, seats 4, hatchback. Car comes with full history and a story. Comes with all original paperwork and documentation, warranties and receipts. All maintenance records and logs from new. Mom even had a cute blue flowered journal where she recorded the maintenance and every gallon of gas she put in the car. It was dealer undercoated at new, Vesco Ban-Rust “lifetime.” The undercoating did a good job. The interior is near new. Seats and hatch and floors were always completely covered with rugs, blankets, and towels. She never sat on the seat fabric. Never in an accident or painted in any way. Original Firestone P155/80R13 tires and they still hold air. It was never stored or sitting outside so the paint is in really nice, but original, shape. The black moldings are all original, not sundrenched or faded. These cars did not have metallic paint and there are a few storage blemishes, but no stone chips on the front hood like most cars. No power what so ever. Manual steering. Manual brakes. Manual transmission. Manual windows. Manual locks. Manual key to open hatch. Driver side mirror only. AM Radio. Cigarette lighter. All lights work and are original. No pets. No smoking ever. In the past few months, the car had its oil and filter, lube, front brake pads and adjacent lines, and battery replaced. We have driven it a few dozen miles and it has driven fine.
This is a classic car. It is 39 years old. This car was not stored in a showroom. It was in a barn. There are a few surface marks on the paint surface from storage. There is a spot of surface rust at the bottom of the passenger door. There is a rust hole in the driver’s floor you can see it from the underside of the car because the interior carpeting is in very nice shape. The muffler is original and rusted. There are braces at the hood hinges that rusted. The braces were installed 15-20 years ago and are secure. The headliner glue dried out and the fabric is loose. There is no evidence of leaks, just normal glue that dried out common in that era of any Chevy. One of the cables to the rear defogger appears to be deteriorated. The wiper blades are original and certainly will need replacing if you plan to drive it in the rain.
See more Chevrolets for sale on Hemmings.com.
In an earlier era in America, there was this thing called “traveling salesman.” There actually were vehicles marketed towards this lifestyle, no different than a sedan delivery for a plumber. By the 1950s, as America continued to evolve past World War II, the life of a traveling salesman was on its way out, and vehicles being offered to this lifestyle were becoming fewer and fewer. Kaiser was among the last holdouts of this type of model, which is why this 1953 Kaiser Traveler offered by a Minnesota dealer on ClassicCars.com is the Pick of the Day. (Click the link to view the listing)
The Kaiser Traveler was developed starting in 1949, but really came into its own with the redesigned 1951 models. Touted as “the world’s most versatile car,” the Traveler was a “luxurious 6-passenger sedan” that converted into a cargo carrier in 10 seconds. It was like having a sedan with station wagon versatility or, if you prefer, a camp-on-wheels for two sportsmen thanks to the double-hinged rear deck. Most were offered in the Special and Deluxe trim levels, though at least one has been found in the upscale Manhattan series. Travelers also featured novel heavy-duty vinyl upholstery that was created by low-pressure refrigerator embossing. Some think the Traveler was the first hatchback, though more in function than style.
This 1953 Kaiser Deluxe Traveler is novel beyond its inherent traits as it’s been updated in several ways for modern living. “Gorgeous medium blue metallic and ivory base coat/clear coat finish for that sweet, wet, shiny look. All-new, expensive quality chrome. Totally straight, rust-free body to start with,” says the seller.
Looking in the engine bay, you’ll find the antiquated straight-six replaced by a 307 V8 from a 1969 Chevrolet, though the four-speed overdrive automatic is decidedly newer. A 1969 Camaro rear end with high gears makes highway cruising much more tolerable than the original powertrain combination.
Move to the interior and you’ll notice digital gauges in the instrument panel. Look around some more and the original vinyl has been updated with more modern, power-operated velour seats. “Power steering, power disc brakes (stops nice!). Detailed motor and motor bay, 12-volt rewire,” the seller adds. Safety hasn’t been ignored either thanks to shoulder belts from a newer vehicle.
Seller concludes, “If you love rare orphans, this is your opportunity for only $23,950.” With just over 900 built, this is a car that’s rare, but it features a form of practicality that works well today for the guy or gal who wants to have it all with a practical classic.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
The 2022 Barrett-Jackson Houston auction starts tomorrow morning at the NRG Center. Filled with great cars, vintage Automobilia, and exciting Thrill Rides and Hot Laps the three-day events runs from Thursday, October 20 through Saturday, October 22. If you can’t make it to Houston, you can watch the auction on FYI, and HISTORY Channel.
TV SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 20
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM CDT
Barrett-Jackson LIVE on fyi,
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM CDT
BarrettJackson.TV (International Viewers Only)
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM CDT
Barrett-Jackson LIVE encore presentation on fyi,
Friday, October 21
12:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT
Barrett-Jackson LIVE on fyi,
12:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT
BarrettJackson.TV (International Viewers Only)
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM CDT
Barrett-Jackson
LIVE encore presentation on fyi,
Saturday, October 22
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM CDT
Barrett-Jackson LIVE on fyi,
2:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT
Barrett-Jackson LIVE on HISTORY
12:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT
BarrettJackson.TV (International Viewers Only)
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM CDT
Barrett-Jackson LIVE encore presentation on fyi,
AUCTION SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 20
8:00 AM to Auction Close
Gates, Sponsor Displays and Exhibitor Marketplace Open
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Dodge and Toyota Thrill Rides
Barrett-Jackson Performance Track, adjacent to the auction arena.
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Cadillac and Chevrolet Hot Laps
Barrett-Jackson Performance Track, adjacent to the auction arena.
11:00 AM to Auction Close
Barrett-Jackson Livestream
All the cars, all the time.
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Automobilia Auction
1:00 PM to Auction Close
Collector Car Auction
Friday, October 21
8:00 AM to Auction Close
Gates, Sponsor Displays and Exhibitor Marketplace Open
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Dodge and Toyota Thrill Rides
Barrett-Jackson Performance Track, adjacent to the auction arena.
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Cadillac and Chevrolet Hot Laps
Barrett-Jackson Performance Track, adjacent to the auction arena.
10:00 AM to Auction Close
Barrett-Jackson Livestream
All the cars, all the time.
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Automobilia Auction
12:00 PM to Auction Close
Collector Car Auction
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Adam’s Polishes Product Showcase
Adam’s Polishes Booth #1001, Exhibitor Marketplace
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Cadillac and Chevrolet Hot Laps
Barrett-Jackson Performance Track, adjacent to the auction arena.
Saturday, October 22
8:00 AM to Auction Close
Gates, Sponsor Displays and Exhibitor Marketplace Open
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Automobilia Auction
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Dodge and Toyota Thrill Rides
Barrett-Jackson Performance Track, adjacent to the auction arena.
10:00 AM to Auction Close
Barrett-Jackson Livestream
All the cars, all the time.
11:00 AM to Auction Close
Fantasy Bid, brought to you by Dodge, ends
Visit BarrettJacksonFantasyBid.com to play.
Grand prize: 2022 Dodge Challenger.
12:00 PM to Auction Close
Collector Car Auction
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Adam’s Polishes Product Showcase
Adam’s Polishes Booth #1001, Exhibitor Marketplace.
Remember when you could go to Los Angeles and Rolls-Royces were everywhere? Though pricey, they were conventional … and then the automotive world became unconventional and tech-y. Rolls-Royce needed to change its approach so, fresh with a new owner (BMW) and an influx of cash, the company from Goodwood reimagined itself as an imposing presence on the boulevard stuffed with horsepower, tech and swagger. Today, the modern Rolls-Royce is truly a rare thing, available for the select few who demand the kind of distinction that a $200,000 Mercedes simply won’t provide.
Rolls-Royce now has stepped up to the plate to take its position up a notch with the Spectre, its first fully electric motor car. What will the status slaves say about this? Before we get into the social commentary, let’s examine the new Rolls.
The company feels the Spectre “demonstrates how perfectly Rolls-Royce is suited for electrification.” This is indisputable considering how many high-end brands have been playing around with electrification technology, like when Ferrari introduced the SF90 Stradale. “A Ferrari Prius? Satan has won!” you may have screamed several years ago, yet the world continues to plug along, and Ferrari continues to raise the bar.
“Spectre’s all-electric powertrain will assure the marque’s sustained success and relevance while dramatically increasing the definition of each characteristic that makes a Rolls-Royce a Rolls-Royce.” If you speak American, it seems to be saying that no matter how personal transportation evolves, you can expect Rolls-Royce to seize upon new aspects of automotive evolution and make them distinctly Rolls.
Charles Stewart Rolls, the co-founder of Rolls-Royce, recognized this way back in 1900. In fact, he recognized this with EVs: “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.” The Brits prob would use the word “prescient” but, to a marketing guy, he or she would say it is on-brand. The powers-that-be at Rolls-Royce today call that “a prophecy fulfilled.”
And since it’s a Rolls-Royce, the number of hoops the Spectre had to jump through during development would be worthy of a generation of slaves: a journey of more than 1,500,000 miles simulating 400 years of use. All this R&D pays off not only for the Spectre, but also for the brand itself because Rolls-Royce is dedicated to a complete EV portfolio by 2030.
But enough of Rolls-Royce talking about itself — what’s the deal with the Spectre? The company likes to think it has created an Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé. It’s a reference to the “indulgent” proportions “specified in response to a commitment that there is no greater luxury than that of space.” Alright, a false start — what’s the deal with the Spectre? It looks like the Rolls-Royce of today, yet it so happens that it’s an EV. The company claims it’s the most aerodynamic Rolls, with a coefficient of drag of 0.25.
In profile, the Spectre resembles a yacht, and why not? It likely will cost as much as one, though its design was inspired by fastback Phantom Coupé. Those who go to the bar for Trivia Night will love the fact that the Spectre is the first production two-door coupé that rides on 23-inch wheels in almost one hundred years (no, Master P was not the first to do this).
The famous grille is illuminated with 22 LEDs lighting the rear side of each vane. Inside, it’s what you’d expect a Rolls-Royce to be. No cow here will have to deal with the indignity of having its hide used in a Vauxhall. An interesting option is the Starlight Doors, which incorporates almost 4,800 softly illuminated lights that simulate shining stars at night. This was a feature in the headliner of the Phantom Coupé, and now the sky has been flipped on its side. There also is an over-the-top nameplate on the dashboard with similar illumination, though this one inspires door envy as it features over 5,000 stars.
An all-aluminum spaceframe, which includes extruded aluminum sections and the integration of the battery in the structure, enables the Spectre to be 30% stiffer than any Rolls-Royce up to this point. Rolls may brag about the resultant low seating position or 1,500 pounds of sound deadening to distinguish it from the groundlings.
Yes, you read that right. Perhaps the 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds is impressive for such a large and heavy vehicle, but wasn’t Colin Chapman British too? To achieve that speed, Rolls-Royce would have said in the past that the power output was “adequate” but preliminary data shows there will be 900Nm of torque from its 430kW powertrain, and that it will be able to travel 320 miles on a single charge, which is typical for EVs of all price classes. Egalitarian? Bite your tongue!
So, what does that leave us? A four-wheeled, 6,500-pound virtue signal that gives the finger to the oil companies (though with extended pinkie) yet is a symbol of conspicuous consumption. Get with the program, Daddy-O and hail the new King!