IN SPECTRE

TG crashes hot weather testing in South Africa... and tries not to get in the way. Here's seven things we learned driving the Rolls-Royce of EVs

- JASON BARLOW

1 It looks Spectre-acular on the move

Sorry, but even the amazing images here don’t do justice to the real thing. The Spectre is a huge statement car, more than ever now that Rolls-Royce has finally embraced electrification. It’s imposing rather than pretty, but fabulously coherent. The overall shape is defined by a silhouette line, a shoulder line, and what Rolls calls a waft line. It needs those 23in wheels to do its best visual work. Its aero numbers are impressive, the tapered tail helping it to a 0.25 drag co-efficient. The grille is the widest ever on a Rolls, also designed to reduce drag. The aperture beneath the grille and bumper is the one feeding cooling air. The Spirit of Ecstasy is leaning forward more than before, for improved efficiency. The split headlights look better resolved here than on other Rollses; the upper ones are permanently lit. The sense of strength this shape and body imparts is extraordinary, although South Africa’s liquid light helps.

2 It feels... well, like a Rolls-Royce