Dacora Motors targets Rolls-Royce with 1930s-inspired luxury EV

Dacora Motors, a new American start-up is looking to shake up the world of ultra-luxury motoring with an all-new all-electric model.

The New York-based firm has revealed the first images and details of its 1930s-inspired grand tourer, which it says will be designed and built entirely in the US.

Promising more than 800bhp, a 400-mile driving range and priced from $500,000, the Dacora is likely to compete with the Rolls-Royce Spectre when production starts in 2026.

While the Spectre is a two-door 2+2 coupe, the Dacora is a four-door grand tourer offering seating configurations from three to seven people. The car’s exterior has been developed in collaboration with famous design house Pininfarina and is inspired by the sleek “streamliners” of the 1930s, with their long bonnets, sweeping wings and fastback rears.

The team behind the Dacora say that while it runs on a modern powertrain, the hand-built car draws on heritage design and craftsmanship, and will offer “transformative personalisation”.

Among the ambitious plans for ongoing personalisation are allowing owners to reconfigure their vehicles with swappable “seasonal” interiors. Likened to changing between summer and winter wardrobes, twice-yearly “drops” will offer owners a variety of colours and materials such as wool for winter and linen for summer, alongside limited edition finishes.

Interiors will be free of plastics, with only natural materials such as hardwoods, leather and wool used and the cabin. Unusually for a modern EV, the Dacora’s interior doesn’t feature a touchscreen. Instead, it uses physical switchgear for most controls, with a navigation display hidden behind the semi-transparent dashboard wood and illuminated when needed.

Owners will be able to adapt the modular interior to accommodate anything between three and seven seats, with Dacora claiming passengers will enjoy up to 45 inches (114cm) of legroom.

There are no technical details on the powertrain, but with plans for 800bhp and a 400-mile range, the Dacora will presumably use at least two motors and a battery well in excess of 100kWh.

Those behind the project say it will be the first ultra-luxury car built in the US in almost a century and will use American-sourced components in a “bold reaffirmation of intentional, domestic manufacturing”.

Befitting its lofty ambitions, buying a Dacora will also give owners access to the Hudson Valley Garage. Due to open in 2026, this exclusive “campus” will offer curated private experiences and incorporate the firm’s manufacturing facilities, a “design atelier” where owners can customise their cars, guest accommodation, and a private driving track.

Dacora co-founder Kristie D’Ambrosio-Correll commented: “At Dacora, we believe true luxury is about connection – between driver and machine, tradition and technology, form and function.

“We set out to build a car that doesn’t compromise between beauty, power, and personalization. We’re inspired by timeless design and driven by a belief that the future of luxury is deeply personal, deeply connected, and unmistakably human.”