A key part of the development team is Martin Christie, senior engineer at Rolls-Royce and a man who has been involved in the development and configuration of every car to come from Goodwood. He says he’s “like a kid with lots of new toys” now that the company is going electric, and the possibilities this opens up for the company to push the boundaries of comfort, quietness and refinement. “It’s almost ridiculous what you can do,” he says.
The noise of the Specter
One of the developments still under discussion in the development of the Specter is exactly how much noise the car will make outside to alert pedestrians of its presence and how quiet it will be inside.
Rolls-Royce models are renowned for their quiet and soothing operation, but the lack of an engine and exhaust system in the Specter should help take that to the next level. Indeed, absolute silence was a possibility inside the cabin – but not an entirely desirable option.
“Exhaust gases, engine, wind and tires contribute to noise,” explains Mihiar Ayoubi, director of engineering. “It happens from the first two of them.
“We could give the customer the option of a sound or a silence. We might even get real silence. But the problem with absolute silence is that people can’t stand it forever; you need minimal noise.
Of the remaining wind and tire noise, Rolls-Royce is already developing an aero package to help reduce wind noise as much as possible and is discussing options with tire suppliers. Ayoubi jokes that the demands of the business have made “our suppliers no longer like working with us!”
He adds: “We are demanding. The tires are the only point of connection to the road. They have to do a lot: efficiency, acoustics, safety, braking, driving dynamics. And then Rolls-Royce comes along and says they’re not perfect enough.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-30 12:01:24
