Rolls-Royce starts worldwide trials of its limited-run electric convertible, Project Nightingale

Rolls-Royce has launched an extensive global testing phase for Project Nightingale, its ultra-exclusive two-door electric convertible, aiming to accumulate 350 weeks of evaluation before the first customer receives a vehicle in 2028. The program will run the prototypes through a spectrum of environments, from the warm climates of Southern Europe and the Arabian Peninsula to the frigid conditions near the Arctic Circle, and at elevations reaching 2,750 metres.

Engineers will push the car to speeds of 249 km/h on a private high-speed track while measuring aerodynamic performance and cabin wind noise. The bespoke convertible roof incorporates cashmere-infused sound-deadening layers, and a powered wind deflector will be tested for turbulence reduction when the roof is lowered. A durability test will open and close the unique sideways-opening “Piano Boot” up to 15,000 times. The vehicle, built on Rolls-Royce’s aluminium Architecture of Luxury spaceframe, measures 5.76 m in length, sits on 24-inch wheels, and will be hand-crafted at the Goodwood facility, with production capped at 100 individually specified units.