This is why you may have seen the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Spectre being driven in public before it’s official release

The Rolls-Royce Black Badge Spectre hasn’t been released yet, but sightings of it have already been reported.

The Black Badge Spectre is set to be the brand’s most powerful car yet, and certainly one of their priciest with a $490,000 sales tag.

But despite the secrecy surrounding it, these highly anticipated cars have still been out on the streets.

So what’s going on?

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What we know about the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Spectre so far

Filings with the Environmental Protection Agency in 2023 confirmed the existence of the Black Badge so it’s not been a total surprise.

We knew that a more powerful variant would be following on the wheels of the British brand’s first EV.

The Black Badge has big boots to fill, as the Spectre was already a mighty impressive car.

With 650hp and 793Ib-ft of torque, it’s set to exceed the original by 73hp and 129Ib-ft.

As impressive at those stats are, they don’t answer our original question – why have these unreleased cars been seen out on the streets.

Well, Rolls-Royce’s director of engineering, Dr. Bernhard Dressler, has the answer.

He explained that Black Badge owners had permitted specialists to access the data of their cars in order to craft a personalized driving experience.

“Following internal development, a small tranche of ‘secret’ Black Badge Spectres was built for a group of clients who requested the earliest possible access to this motor car,” he said.

“They emphatically approved of our engineering response, highlighting the powerful connection between Rolls-Royce and its clients.”

Hundreds of thousands miles were logged and the ultimate Rolls-Royce was crafted.

This isn’t the first time an unreleased car has been spotted on the streets – remember when the Tesla Robotaxi was spotted out in California?

The Black Badge will be capable of hitting 60mph in 4.1 seconds and will have a 266-mile range.

The car’s full power can be activated through the Infinity mode, which is controlled via a button on the steering wheel.

In addition to its performance, this car is set to look sleek with new 23-inch wheel designs and 44,000 different color options.

How its predecessor exceeded expectations

The high demand for the Spectre reportedly took Rolls-Royce by surprise.

As reported by Jalopnik, it’s the brand’s best selling car in Europe and their best selling overall.

The average Spectre owner is driving 4,000 miles in it a year, and only needs to charge it 20 times.

Rolls-Royce said the Spectre is usually the buyer’s second Rolls-Royce purchase in a seven car garage.

Only time will tell how the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Spectre does when it’s released – but we’re expecting big things.