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Rolls‑Royce's Project Nightingale Enters Global Prototype Testing

The marque is running rigorous durability and high‑speed trials to prove a bespoke, invitation‑only electric drop‑top meets its standards before customer deliveries begin.

Overview

  • Prototypes were sighted and Rolls‑Royce has begun a multinational testing program that totals about 350 collective weeks across Southern Europe, the Arctic Circle and Arabian deserts.
  • Engineers will subject key parts to staged torture tests, including cycling the split, cantilever‑opening 'Piano Boot' 15,000 times and operating the folding roof at temperatures up to 80°C to validate long‑term reliability.
  • The car has already undergone more than 1,430 hours of aerodynamic modelling and will undertake private high‑speed runs up to 155 mph to measure refinement and wind‑noise performance.
  • Project Nightingale is a 100‑unit, invitation‑only coachbuilt EV that Rolls‑Royce will hand‑build at Goodwood with deliveries scheduled to start in 2028.
  • The programme signals Rolls‑Royce’s effort to marry traditional Goodwood craftsmanship with modern electric engineering and sets a high benchmark for how ultra‑luxury coachbuilt EVs will be validated for real‑world use.