In 1906, 116 years ago, engineers Charles Rolls and Henry Royce founded the Rolls-Royce company. They had one very simple, but very clear goal: make the best cars in the whole world. During WWI, they also supplied various airplane manufacturers with engines, which is something they still do to this day, and that also includes marine applications. Today's Rolls-Royce isn't related to the original company, but the ethos and the goals remain the same. There are tons of strange facts about the company as well.
Today, Rolls-Royce is the first name in automotive luxury. Unless you're ready to spend millions of dollars on coach building, or you are the Sultan of Brunei, you can't get more extravagant, luxurious, and opulent than a Rolls-Royce. That has always been the thing about Rolls-Royce. They're not about handling, sportiness, or driver involvement; they're all about comfort and isolating their occupants from the hubbub of the outside world. They're cars that are better if someone is chauffeuring you, and you're not actually driving them. But what would happen if one day, Rolls-Royce went crazy and decided to build a supercar? With the help of digital artist Rostislav Prokop, we now have an idea of what that could look like in the form of a car rendering.
A Rolls-Royce Badged Ferrari Rival
Previously, HotCars has gotten exclusive first looks at cars that might become a thing in the coming years. This is not one of them. The mantra of Rolls-Royce has always been luxury, and only luxury. The closest thing to a sporty car that they sell at the moment is the Wraith, which is a two-door coupe, and is the most powerful car in the lineup at the moment. However, if Rolls-Royce went all-out and made a proper supercar, this is what it could look like.
Rostislav Prokop envisions the Rolls-Royce Supersport as an angular, aggressive supercar with a few telltale signs that this is, indeed, a Rolls-Royce. The angular bodywork is definitely a contributing factor to the car's overall look and presence. The front end of the RR Supersport is typical Rolls-Royce fare, with the same grille, the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, and the traditional headlight shape. Meanwhile, the wheels are the same shade of dark blue as the exterior, and it's entirely possible that they also have weighted decorative center caps. The rear gets the signature Rolls-Royce taillight design, as well as massive dual exhausts. If a Rolls-Royce supercar were to ever happen, it would most likely go against cars like the Ferrari 296 GTB, which we love, or possibly SF90 Stradale, the Lamborghini Huracan, and the McLaren 720S and/or Artura, which now has a special edition dedicated to the Queen of England.
What Could Power A Rolls-Royce Supersport?
There are a few potential ways Rolls-Royce could go for a supercar powertrain. If they decided on pure internal combustion, it would probably be an adapted version of the 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 that they use across their whole lineup. In its most powerful version, as found in the Wraith, it develops 624 hp. It's safe to assume that an RR supercar would probably use an even more powerful version of this engine. However, with the rise of plug-in hybrid supercars, this is highly unlikely. The next option would be pairing the V12 or even a BMW V8 with plug-in hybrid tech, which would all combine to make around 800 hp or more.
One cool idea would be to pair the plug-in hybrid component with the 3.0-liter turbo six-cylinder from the BMW M3 and M4. It's a fantastic engine, and RR would definitely do a good job of harvesting its potential more. The final option is going fully electric. If Rolls-Royce were to make an electric supercar or hypercar, it would most likely use an adapted version of the powertrain on the upcoming Spectre EV. Due to the insane power levels of electric hypercars right now, this version could make anywhere from 1,200 to 2,000 hp. One last combination is for Rolls-Royce to offer a plug-in version and a fully-electric version simultaneously.
A proper Rolls-Royce supercar will probably never happen. It's not viable for a company that has been building their reputation for the best luxury cars in the world for such a long time to make a sudden seismic shift to the world of supercars. But, even if Rolls-Royce never puts together a Ferrari-rivaling monster, we can sit back and fantasize about what that would look like.