Proving a ghost from the past right

The Spectre emerges out of the mist on an uncharacteristically overcast day of this exclusive drive, not only as the first electric car from Rolls-Royce, but to prove a ghost from the past right

- Alex Shahini

It was fitting that the cloudy and wet weather conditions during the clandestine testing session of the all-electric, all-new Rolls-Royce Spectre mimicked that of the English climate.

Affixed with the Deutschland symbol on the bottom left of the European numberplate, the only real reminder this was still summertime in South Africa was the warm, humid air paired with an occasional local accent.

After a stint in -40°C at a specialist facility in Arjeplog, Sweden, the new model would have to survive the spectacular Augrabies Falls region in the hot, dry Northern Cape, where the mercury reached the complete opposite. Thereafter, it would find refuge in the comfy confines of the Cape Winelands.

Rolls-Royce invited us to join select motoring media representatives from round the world for the unveiling of the eagerly awaited model. Limited to fewer than a dozen drives over the week, it was time to witness history being made with the first-ever electric model from Goodwood along Franschhoek's finest stretches of road.

Accompanied by breathtaking press photos during an electrical storm, the presentation revealed the official performance statistics ahead of the drive.

Would the Spectre live up to a prophecy Rolls-Royce cofounder Charles Rolls made in early 1900; that vehicles bearing his name would be perfectly suited to the clean and noiseless form of propulsion?

I thought it remarkable that the previous testing phase of the coupé was a 2,5 million kilometre journey in the French Riviera. Our own French corner would be where our group would garner first driving impressions of the momentous prototype.