Halcyon, a subsidiary of Evice Technologies, has reimagined luxury motoring with its all-electric Rolls-Royce Corniche Drophead Coupe. This hand-built vehicle, priced around $570,000 plus additional costs, seamlessly merges the iconic charm of a 1960s Rolls-Royce with the silent, powerful sophistication of a modern electric powertrain. The project aims to blend classic aesthetics with contemporary performance and sustainability, offering a truly unique driving experience that redefines luxury.

The driving experience is characterized by effortless, silent motion. With a simple pull of the column-mounted shifter to 'D', the car glides away smoothly, with the only sound being the crunch of tires on gravel. This remarkable silence and smoothness would undoubtedly impress Henry Royce, the co-founder of Rolls-Royce, whose engineering principles were rooted in these very qualities. Ironically, Royce, a self-taught electrical engineer, never built an electric car, yet he founded a company that produced electric motors. Even more ironically, his partner, Charles Rolls, had a prescient vision for electric vehicles as early as 1900, remarking on their noiseless and clean nature, foreseeing their utility with "fixed charging stations," over a century before Rolls-Royce itself would introduce its first electric car, the Spectre.

Halcyon plans a limited production run of 60 electric-powered Rolls-Royces, based on the Corniche two-doors and Silver Shadow sedans originally launched in 1965. The lineup will include 25 Corniche Drophead Coupes, 20 Corniche Fixed Head Coupes, and 15 Silver Shadow sedans. For customers seeking an alternative, Halcyon can also undertake Bentley variants, reflecting the historical ownership of Bentley by Rolls-Royce and the shared design language of the era. Each vehicle is entirely bespoke, allowing for complete customization of paintwork and interior trim, ensuring that no two cars are identical. The meticulous build process for each car is extensive, taking approximately one year to complete.

While the starting price of approximately $570,000 (excluding donor car, shipping, and local taxes) positions these vehicles in the ultra-luxury segment, Halcyon asserts that customers receive a 1960s Rolls-Royce that surpasses the original in terms of build quality and modern amenities. The comprehensive 5,000-hour build program dedicates over 2,000 hours solely to the refurbishment of the bodywork and the implementation of subtle design modifications. An example of such attention to detail includes completely redesigned rear bumpers that maintain the original aesthetic but are more compact, not extending as far along the rear quarter panel. The interior is entirely new, masterfully blending period-appropriate forms with contemporary materials and technologies, notably featuring an infotainment screen discreetly placed under the center of the dash, offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration to power a high-end audio system.

Beyond luxury and modern convenience, the Halcyon electric Rolls-Royce also offers a significant performance upgrade. The new electric powertrain provides approximately twice the horsepower of the original 1960s model, which was known for its leisurely acceleration, reaching 60 mph in about 10 seconds. This enhanced power, combined with the inherent smoothness and silence of an electric drivetrain, delivers a refined yet exhilarating driving experience that would have delighted the thrill-seeking Charles Rolls.