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Throughout its history, Rolls-Royce has created Experimental, or EX, motor cars, as part of its product development process. But an EX motor car is not a concept created to ‘test the waters’: it is fully realised, drivable, and informed by our deep understanding of our clients’ needs and desires. Each of the three EX cars marking their anniversary this year has made an immense contribution to the development of Goodwood-era models such as the legendary Phantom Coupé, Spectre and the coachbuilt Sweptail, as well as introducing the world to Bespoke through expressions like our signature Starlight Headliner. In their innovation, creativity, dynamism and engineering accomplishment, they perfectly translate the technical brilliance of Sir Henry Royce and the pioneering vision of Charles Rolls into the modern age.”
Bernhard Dressler, Director of Engineering, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com
In 2026, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marks a special triple anniversary; three groundbreaking Experimental – or EX – motor cars, built during the Goodwood-era, are recording 20, 15 and 10 years since their respective unveilings.
Each of these motor cars played a foundational role in establishing Rolls-Royce’s contemporary design language, technology, engineering hallmarks and commitment to Bespoke individualisation. Unlike conventional concept cars, which are used to ask the market what it wants, EX motor cars are developed to answer specific needs and desires, identified through Rolls-Royce’s deep understanding of its clients and a clear view of what comes next. They allow Rolls-Royce’s engineers to evaluate innovative technologies, advanced production methods, and bold new material palettes.
The three Goodwood-era EX cars are part of a through-line going back to 1EX, which Henry Royce built in 1919. When Royce found his new Phantom II, launched in 1929, too large and heavy for his own use, his designers produced a lightweight Experimental version, 26EX, on an adapted short chassis. It proved ideal for high-speed, long-distance touring on Europe’s smooth, straight roads, and entered production as the now rare and highly prized Phantom II Continental. During the early-to-mid 1930s, Rolls-Royce built 30EX and nine further experimental cars under the codename Spectre as part of the V12 engine development programme that would enter production in 1936 as Phantom III. Drawing inspiration from those experimental Phantom III motor cars, the name Spectre was later revived for the marque’s first battery electric motor car, unveiled in 2022. The last of the pre-Goodwood EX motor cars, 45EX, was built in 1957.
101EX, UNVEILED IN 2006 – 20 YEARS AGO
101EX made its debut at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. A full four-seat coupé with twin coach doors, it was built on the same aluminium spaceframe as Phantom VII, but is 240 mm shorter. Combined with bodywork constructed from carbon fibre composite, and power from a 6.75-litre V12 engine, it was designed to have a more performance- and driver-focused character than its larger sibling. It also has a lower roofline and shallower glass area; the Pantheon grille is discreetly reclined and extended back across a brushed aluminium bonnet and windscreen surround.
The interior features the first-ever Starlight Headliner. Comprising hundreds of fibre-optic ‘stars’, it proved an instant sensation and is now a fundamental element of almost every Rolls-Royce motor car, with its own almost unlimited potential for Bespoke individualisation. Like its predecessor – 100EX, unveiled in 2004 – 101EX would find lasting fame as a series production car; the legendary Phantom Coupé, launched in 2008.
Phantom Coupé, together with the closely related Phantom Drophead Coupé, was foundational to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ development as a modern House of Luxury. They introduced the world to the full possibilities of Bespoke, informed by the company’s growing understanding of the wider luxury market, and the idea of a Rolls-Royce as a canvas for deep, Bespoke individualisation. 101EX also gave designers and engineers vital insights into materials and construction techniques that would inform the development of the first Coachbuild project of the modern era: Sweptail, presented in 2017.
102EX, UNVEILED IN 2011 – 15 YEARS AGO
102EX has a unique place in history as the first battery electric vehicle (BEV) ever built by Rolls-Royce. Also known as the Phantom Experimental Electric (EE), it was created as a one-off, working test bed for alternative drive-train technologies, and thus represented the first tangible step on the road that would lead to the advent of Spectre, more than a decade later.
One of the most significant engineering challenges was converting everything that runs directly off the engine in a standard motor car, from power steering and ABS to heating and audio, to battery power. 102EX had what was then the largest capacity battery fitted to a motor car anywhere in the world: its wireless induction charging system was also a world first.
Following its Geneva debut, 102EX embarked on a year-long ‘world tour’ of client, media and public events, culminating in a landmark appearance at the prestigious Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This gave owners, VIPs, media and enthusiasts the opportunity to discover Rolls-Royce’s emerging drivetrain technology and share their experiences and impressions; this information proved crucial to engineers’ understanding of the potential and practicalities of BEVs. 102EX’s international odyssey would later be eclipsed by the 2.5 million kilometres Spectre accumulated in some of the world’s most hostile climates and challenging terrain for its own pre-launch testing.
103EX, UNVEILED IN 2016 – 10 YEARS AGO
In 2016, the marque commissioned a special ‘Vision’ motor car named 103EX, which would define the future of luxury. Hand-built using the most advanced materials, and powered by a zero emissions powertrain, it revealed a future in which Rolls-Royce offered clients a completely personal, effortless and autonomous experience.
The passenger cabin, known as ‘The Grand Sanctuary’, surrounds occupants with precious and contemporary materials carefully chosen to create a feeling of lightness, simplicity and effortless elegance. The seats are replaced with an opulent sofa, which, thanks to artful lighting, appears to ‘float’ within the cocoon of the cabin.
At 5.9 metres long and 1.6 metres high – the same dimensions as Phantom Extended – 103EX guarantees a Grand Arrival for its owner. For the first time, the Spirit of Ecstasy was made in glass and illuminated from below.
As well as an all-electric powertrain, 103EX includes a digital assistant called ‘Eleanor’. The choice of name was inspired by Eleanor Thornton, who was believed to have been sculptor Charles Sykes’ muse for the original Spirit of Ecstasy mascot. Within the Vision motor car, Eleanor was conceived to enable fully autonomous driving while also facilitating a seamless digital interface between motor car and owner. This forward-looking concept anticipated aspects of today’s Whispers app, which provides clients with a curated digital connection to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
UNITED BY HERITAGE
Although these three motor cars are very different in conception and execution, they share a single, highly exclusive, distinguishing feature.
The use of the Rolls-Royce Badge of Honour, with its overlaid double ‘R’ for the founders’ second initials, can be traced back to the earliest days of the brand, with the first examples appearing on Rolls-Royce 10 H.P. motor cars in 1905. The first badges featured the ‘RR’ symbol in red on a silver background, but in 1931, the process began to change the lettering to black – a style that has remained ever since.
However, the original-style red badge has periodically resurfaced over the decades – albeit rarely and on a highly restricted basis. In 1979, to mark the company’s 75th anniversary, Rolls-Royce fitted red badges to all 212 examples of the Silver Shadow II Anniversary model, together with a single Camargue and the sole Silver Wraith II. Red badges were also specified for the final series of 25 Corniches, the turbocharged Corniche S.
This practice continues today, with red badges occasionally assigned to carefully selected motor cars. Most notably, they have also been fitted to all the Goodwood-era EX models – including the three celebrating their anniversaries this year. This shared feature underlines their historic importance to Rolls-Royce, preserving a through-line of innovation, experimentation and challenging of convention that can be traced back to the marque’s foundation.