“At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock,” read David Ogilvy’s famous 1958 advertisement for the Silver Cloud. It’s perhaps the only line in the annals of automotive advertising to have also become prophetic. Ogilvy’s words were certainly echoing in my head as I wafted through the Surrey countryside in the all-electric Halcyon Rolls-Royce Corniche restomod. With company CEO Matthew Pearson beside me, pauses in conversation were filled by nothing more than the soft rush of air over the Corniche’s windscreen.
This is one of the least controversial electric conversions I can conjure. Rolls-Royce’s modus operandi has always been serene, effortless progress – and marque co-founder Charles Rolls had a well documented admiration for electric propulsion. “We like to think this is the car Rolls-Royce would have made if the technology had been available at the time,” Matthew says from the passenger seat. After a relaxing few miles gliding through springtime sunshine, it’s difficult to disagree.
His comment distills exactly what Halcyon is trying to achieve. He founded the company with two fellow engineers – COO Charlie Metcalfe and CTO Will Burdett – in June 2023, the trio having cut their teeth on projects including Formula 1 and other high-profile electric restomod programmes.
“We wanted to take this beautiful classic car, develop it with great technology and make what was once the best car in the world the best car in the world again,” Pearson adds simply. It’s a bold claim, and the engineering beneath that beautifully restored coachwork is how Halcyon intends to make its case.
Described by the company as a production prototype, this particular car – known as Highland Heather – made its public debut at the 2025 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace. The fit and finish already reflect what customers can expect, but the powertrain and suspension are still being fine-tuned.
Unlike many electric conversions, Halcyon has gone much further than simply removing the engine and shoehorning in an off-the-shelf powertrain. Developed over two years, the 800-volt electric platform was created in-house by sister company Evice Technologies, which also supplies its batteries and motors to Twisted for its electric Land Rover Defender conversions.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a single e-motor mounted to a bespoke subframe. All so-called Genesis models will be rear-wheel drive only in order to preserve the car’s original character and keep the kerbweight (2360kg) in the same ballpark as an unconverted example. The standard battery pack provides 77kWh of capacity and up to 250 miles of range, while a long-range option, housed between the rear suspension turrets, increases those figures to 94kWh and 300 miles.
Both versions support DC fast-charging at up to 230kW, and in standard form the car produces a healthy 400bhp, increasing to 500bhp with the meatier battery pack. Even the 400bhp model represents almost double the output of the original 6.75-litre V8, but Rolls purists needn’t look away – this is no exercise in straight-line excess.
“This isn’t about producing a Tesla,” Charlie Metcalfe reassures. “It’s about having that feeling of unlimited reserve behind you, so that you can effortlessly waft along the road.” Full marks to Metcalfe for using “reserve” and “effortlessly waft” in the same sentence – proper Rolls-Royce parlance.
You’ll be relieved to hear that such words are exactly what come to mind when you’re sitting behind the beautifully delicate Moto-Lita steering wheel. That’s partly because this prototype produces considerably less torque than a customer car will; its open differential limits output to 236lb ft, while limited-slip-diff-equipped production models will deliver 435lb ft. But it’s also because the torque has been mapped to ensure smooth, gentlemanly progress that befits the badge.
The Corniche is more approachable from behind the wheel than its stately styling suggests. You sit relatively high, with the door line well below shoulder height and excellent all-round visibility – particularly with the roof down. At over five metres long it remains a lengthy machine even by modern standards, yet it’s only marginally wider than a Mk8 Volkswagen Golf.
Generously sidewalled tyres and adaptive dampers do an excellent job of preserving the soft, pillowy ride Rolls-Royce has always promised, while introducing a reassuring sense of composure that the original car could never quite muster. Or, as Pearson puts it from the passenger seat: “The boatiness is dialled out to a significant degree.”
Another highlight is the way Halcyon has repurposed the original column-mounted gear selector to cycle through Park and Neutral as well as three drive modes: Touring, Drive and Spirited. Touring suits the car best on Surrey’s winding lanes, slackening the dampers and throttle response for maximum comfort. Spirited sharpens both, adjusting the torque map for more purposeful acceleration – the mode for more uncouth drivers, one might say. Drive sits contentedly between the two.
Halcyon has taken the same approach with the period gauges which, despite appearing original, have been subtly redesigned to indicate EV-relevant information rather than the combustion-related readings they once showed. Meanwhile, a Pioneer infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity sits neatly concealed behind a panel that pivots upwards on command to keep the dash looking as Crewe intended.
Even before you slink away in silence for the first time, the restoration quality of the Halcyon Rolls-Royce is palpable. “There isn’t a single part of the car that hasn’t been touched by man or machine,” Pearson tells me. By the time the nut-and-bolt restoration and powertrain conversion are complete, each of the 60 cars planned for production will have consumed around 5000 hours of labour and the best part of a year.
The all-electric Genesis build programme comprises 30 Corniche Convertibles, 20 Fixed-Head Coupés and ten Silver Shadows and Bentley T-Series models. For customers who prefer internal combustion, Halcyon will also build 60 Great Eight models – powered by a comprehensively re-engineered version of the original 6.75-litre V8 – in the same model split.
No two examples of the Halcyon Rolls-Royce will be alike, and each customer will be guided through their commission by design director Patrick McCallion. Rather than presenting clients with a paralysing number of options, his approach is to simply ask who they are, what inspires them and where they’re going to drive it.
Highland Heather is Halcyon’s answer to that question and was commissioned by the company to showcase what’s possible. The paintwork was inspired by Scottish moorland heather and chosen as a nod to the reliability trials Rolls-Royce entered in Scotland in 1907. These trials are also referenced in the plaques on each rear-passenger armrest and glamorous, light-catching dashboard finishing that evokes the rivers and lochs of the Scottish Highlands.
Predictably, none of this comes cheap. Commissions for the Halcyon Rolls-Royce start from £395,000 before the cost of the donor vehicle, which can be supplied by the customer or sourced by Halcyon itself. That puts it in line with a new all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre, and while that car offers all the features and convenience of modernity, this alternative will appeal to those who favour exclusivity and the elegance of a classic.
Find out more about the Halcyon Rolls-Royce here.
