This is it. This is the moment I have been dreaming of ever since I started writing about cars. To be fair, driving this 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre is a memorable experience in its own right, but it is not exactly the moment I am referring to. Though it could not have been possible without this big, luxurious electric coupe from Goodwood, England, the moment I had been waiting for is not for me, but rather my parents.
Allow me to explain: my home country, Hong Kong, holds the world record for having the most Rolls-Royces per capita in the world. We are used to seeing them roam the streets, and we have all heard the stories about them — their use of the finest materials, the handcrafted building process, and of course, the otherworldly experience they offer.
Yet my parents never experienced this. Fast forward to today, and it was finally time to change that.
I took a moment to enjoy the nicely weighted keys to this particular Spectre finished in Chartreuse, a polarizing colour the rest of the team wasn’t big on, but I thought was gorgeous. After snapping a couple of selfies, I called my parents to figure out where they were, and I hit the road. On the drive over, I took in the beautiful cabin: every knob and switch felt substantial, the leather and lacquered wood felt rich, and the lambswool carpet beneath my wingtip dress shoes — a choice I made specifically for this occasion — felt sinfully thick and plush.
The drive itself was anticlimactic. Even though I kept picturing how my parents would react to this $500,000-plus holy grail of an EV showing up in their driveway, the rest of my senses were incredibly calm. There is an all-encompassing sense of nothingness inside the Spectre, which is the exact philosophy of every Rolls-Royce that came before the Spectre: no noise, no harshness, no unpleasantness from the outside world. The electrically generated instant torque sends the Spectre off effortlessly, power delivery is an almost perfect 45-degree line plotted on a chart, and there is virtually no sound or vibration to worry about.
Finally, I arrived at my parents’ house. Seeing their eyes light up at the sight of the Spectre, donning the Spirit of Ecstasy proudly up front, was a scene I will not forget. As I gently opened the rear-hinged coach doors and helped them into the world-class cabin, they exchanged a look I have not seen around any other car I have brought home for them to see. It was a look of pride, as if their son actually owns this Rolls-Royce Spectre they are about to step into, mixed with a lot of curiosity. They took their time and felt out each surface, noted the illuminated Starlight doors, headliner, and how these thousands of “stars” transformed the space inside, and told me how crisp the classical music sounded through the Spectre’s speakers.
They did not have much trouble settling into the thick sofas serving as the Spectre’s seats. Once we got moving, their curiosity turned into amazement when they realized how quiet a car can be, especially compared to my dad’s own Lexus LS 460, which is already quite cushy as-is. They remarked how Rolls-Royce excels in making someone feel like a VIP; I have shown them almost every flagship we’ve had the privilege of testing, including the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, but I could tell none of these vehicles tugged at their heartstrings quite like the Spectre.
It was a short but memorable time spent with my parents and the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre. It was evident that pairing electric motors with the Spirit of Ecstasy had done wonders to elevate Rolls-Royce’s game, but I do not think what powered it mattered to my parents. What matters is that I helped them live out a fantasy of their own; taking my parents for a ride in a Rolls-Royce, after having grown up in a land full of them, is a memory I will cherish for a long time.
