Rolls-Royce has redesigned the Spirit of Ecstasy for EVs

Think 'Rolls-Royce' and you don't usually think 'slippery aero'. A Phantom or a Cullinan are about as slippery as the Royal Albert Hall. Could that be about to change?

Rolls-Royce has redesigned its Spirit of Ecstasy for an electric future, giving the mascot a more aerodynamic stance after 830 hours of modelling and wind tunnel testing. 

Now, we don’t want to downplay that work, but essentially the new flying lady is tucked into a slightly lower stance with one leg now in front of the other. The current SoE is 100.01mm tall, whereas the new one stands at 82.73mm. Specific.

The robes flowing behind the figurine have been redrawn too, apparently becoming both more aerodynamic and realistic. Rolls says that prototype versions of the upcoming Spectre EV – the first car to use the new mascot – have a drag coefficient of just 0.26.

The Spirit of Ecstasy was first registered as intellectual property on this day – February 6 – 111 years ago and apparently this new design brings it closer to that of illustrator and sculptor Charles Sykes’ original drawings. It will still be made using a technique known as ‘lost wax casting’ and each figurine will continue to be finished by hand, making each one unique. 

It’s worth noting that the new Spirit of Ecstasy won’t ever appear on the Phantom, Ghost, Wraith, Dawn or Cullinan, and that it’ll only head-up new models from this very moment on.

Thoughts on the new look, Internet? And what else could Roll do to increase efficiency?