Halcyon Genesis Series review: the ultimate Rolls-Royce Corniche?

Blimey, that’s certainly not shy and retiring, is it?

Has a drop-top Rolls-Royce ever been described as such? But yes, we see what you mean. This is British company Halcyon’s first ‘remastered’ Corniche, and this particularly purple car is known as the Highland Heather commission. We’re told that the colour and trim were “inspired by the natural majesty of Scotland’s moors”.

So, it’s a restomod Corniche?

Well yes, but there’s a fair bit more to it than that. Firstly, it’s actually an electric restomod Corniche. This car was first unveiled back in March 2025 with claims of a proper 800-volt electric architecture, adaptive suspension, cruise control and a 400bhp motor. And it doesn’t have to be a convertible Corniche either. It could be a coupe or a four-door Silver Shadow. Heck, it could even be a Bentley T-series or Continental if you so wish.

Impressive, hit me with some more stats…

There’s still a little bit of development work to be done, but now that the Highland Heather commission has hit the road it’s using a 77kWh battery that its makers claim provides a very respectable 250 miles of range. It’ll also recharge at a peak of 230kW, with a 20 to 80 per cent top-up taking less than 30 minutes.

The battery pack is actually split into two, with a big chunk of it under the bonnet and a second section where the fuel tank used to live out back. There’s no impact on boot space and it weighs the same as when previously fitted with its 6.75-litre V8. Impressive. Oh, and Halcyon has also developed its own cooling system specifically for this type of stacked battery pack.

“You can only perform as well as your hottest or coldest module, so you need to keep the temperatures even throughout,” explains COO Charlie Metcalfe.

“In a skateboard chassis, that's fairly simple, because every module's on the same plane. You can have a nice, flat cooling plate, and it performs the same for each module. When you have these unconventional shapes, the challenge is, how do you get an even amount of coolant – either cooled or heated – to each module? That’s what we’ve been able to develop in-house and it’s a bit of IP that we're very proud of. The ability to flexibly change the shape of the pack, so that the cooling remains uniform and standard. And then we're also able to control the software of the packs, so that it also works in any different configuration as well.”

On that, Halcyon also says that it’ll offer a larger 94kWh option that ups the range to 300 miles but does eat into boot space slightly. It’ll also weigh a little more, but that should be offset by the fact it also sees power jump to 500bhp. Today we’ve got the smaller pack, which means only 400bhp being sent to the rear wheels.

What else do I need to know about the company?

We actually first heard about the firm back when it was calling itself Evice Technologies in late 2024. That was when it showed off a stickered up Silver Shadow prototype, but just a few months later Evice had become the parent company, and the Halcyon brand was formed.

The business itself was actually started back in 2023 though, with co-founders Will Burdett, Matthew Pearson and Metcalfe having met a few years earlier while studying engineering at the University of Bath.

It’s now up to a team of 10, with staff coming from Tier 1 suppliers, major OEMs and other electromod businesses. And yet, it’s not only EVs that Halcyon will work on. It recently announced its second project, the Great Eight Series. If you hadn’t guessed from the name, that’ll be a run of the same cars as the Genesis Series, but with the original 6.75-litre V8s tuned for more torque, improved responses and a raspier sound.

Come on then, what’s this electric version like to drive?

Well, we had a quick go at dodging Duke of Edinburgh walkers and Lycra-clad retirees in this left-hand drive car on the very tight roads around Box Hill in Surrey, but first impressions are really rather good.

It may have swapped out the entire powertrain, but Halcyon has retained the physical key to start the Corniche and rejigged its column-mounted shifter to include its three new drive modes. Nice bit of tactility. Get underway and you’ll also quickly find that there’s proper feel to the uprated brakes, while the hydraulic steering is light with just a touch of authentic play in it.

You’ll quickly find that there’s proper feel to the uprated brakes, while the hydraulic steering is light with just a touch of authentic play in it

The car we drove was fitted with an open differential and torque peaked at 236lb ft, but we’re told that customer cars will be getting a limited-slip diff out back that can handle more, so that will rise considerably to 435lb ft. Halcyon does say that the throttle maps will still prioritise a smooth delivery, though. “All very Rolls-Royce still,” says Pearson. “It's not trying to be a Porsche. This isn't a Taycan Turbo S neck-snapping experience. It's not trying to be.”

Although as you might expect, with 400bhp on tap it does pick up speed very capably, particularly in its sprightliest Spirited mode. That would ordinarily enable the strongest level of regen too, but Halcyon has switched it off for this prototype drive as it works on the handover between that and actual pad-on-disc stopping power. And anyway, that instant electric torque really gives you the confidence to press on and make swift progress.

Impressive. Is it still comfortable?

There’s adaptive suspension on board and it’s certainly less floaty than an original Corniche, but don’t go thinking this is suddenly trying to be a sports car. In Drive and Touring modes there’s a well-judged amount of body roll through corners, and under heavy acceleration it’ll still lift its nose slightly as it makes a break for freedom. It feels just right for an old Roller.

Weight distribution has improved to 51:49 front to rear, and it rides bumps in the road with great fluidity even in Spirited mode. There is a touch of scuttle shake when the convertible Corniche hits a particularly large pothole, but Halcyon has redesigned the trim so that nothing rattles inside, and a new brace is apparently on the way to add 20 to 25 per cent more torsional stiffness.

Is it strange having no engine sound?

Well, there’d be no hiding any ugly electric powertrain noise with the roof down, but actually the Highland Heather wafts along in a beautifully serene manner. There’s a little bit of a hum under acceleration to let you know what’s happening, but otherwise it’s a wonderfully relaxing thing to cruise about in. And with the windows up it’s not that windy for those in the front seats.

That interior looks rather nice…

Isn’t it just. Halcyon completely replaces the dashboard and adds a mix of old-school dials and modern – but concealable – tech. A pioneer infotainment screen provides wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the old black plastic switches of this 1978 car are replaced with lovely metal parts.

You also get a thin-rimmed wooden steering wheel, lots of lovely leather, dramatic ambient lighting, heated seats and something called the ‘Halcyon Gallery’. That’s essentially a 1.5m long piece of aluminium on the dash that can have any sort of artwork engraved into it. Lovely.

How much would it cost me?

Are you sitting down? It’s £395,000 excluding the donor car, and Halcyon will help you source a good one of those if you don’t have one already. Each build takes 12 months from start to finish, and the spec can be as bespoke as the client desires. Apparently the first customer build will be out for delivery early in 2027, and Halcyon has taken eight further deposits for its EV. It plans to build 60 examples.

Interestingly, demand for the V8-engined Great Eight has been pretty spectacular since its reveal, but the grace of the drop-top Corniche really does suit a punchy electric powertrain too. We’ll just have to have another go when it’s got all of that extra torque…