Rolls Royce Silver Spirit

Rolls’ replacement for the Shadow has never been a better buy. Here’s why you should choose one over a Bentley, too!

What’s in a name, or to be more precise, what’s the difference between Rolls and Bentley? For years, the latter has been held in higher esteem and gained the upper hand over the badge that took the ailing sports car company over nearly 80 years ago. For many, only a Mulsanne will do, but the Silver Spirit showcases all that’s good about Rolls-Royce – and old school Crewe at that – plus it can be better value for money.

History

The Silver Spirit and T Series were pensioned off in late 1980, after 15 years of being, if not at the top, then at least very near the summit of the best in luxury cars. Replacing these iconic cars wasn’t easy, since many cheaper rivals from vulgar upstarts such as Mercedes and Jaguarproved that these companies could build world beaters too – and a lot cheaper. Pensioning off the Crewe classic hadn’t come a moment too soon because the aforementioned S-Class and XJ12 were streets ahead in terms of dynamics and driving pleasure and could provide most of the creature comforts Rolls and Bentley buyers expected, with modernity. One could well imagine Rolls’ heads shaking in disbelief back in 1972, when the sensational Jaguar XJ12 was launched – work started on the Shadow replacement a year later! That said, Rolls did a fi ne job indeed with ’Project SZ’ as it was known, considering it still retained most of the old drivetrain and infastructure from the Shadow, yet wasbrought thoroughly up to date – the rear suspension from the two-door models, introduced in 1979, being the most major change.

By the mid 1980s, the Bentley badge had came to the fore, thanks to the brawny Brooklands Turbos, but the Silver Spirit (and the longer wheel-based Silver Spur), wasn’t being left in the shadows, so to speak. Early cars weren’t particularly well screwed together and it took a considerable amount of on-going development to iron out the bugs. In September 1984 a revised door locking system was fi tted and power washers replaced headlamp wash/wipe plus heated door mirrors. October 1986 was the most significant early date to both, when fuel injection replaced carburettors and ABS became standard fi tment. Two years later power was upped (as usual Rolls never said by how much and to what!) while for 1990 the Silver Spirit II and Series 2 Mulsanne ranges were announced, benefi ting from revised styling and automatic ride control. During 1990 catalytic converters were made optional and the standard stereo was improved, while in September the following year a vastly improved automatic ‘box was installed, now being four speeds. Engine power was increased further after September 1993, yet another, revised automatic was installed (with Shift Energy Management) along with Adaptive Ride control and twin airbags. That’s the sum of the major changes to these modern Rollers and Bentleys, although many detailed revisions were also made along the way. Contact a dealer, specialist or owners club for the full run down.

Driving

Although the Silver Spirit is a considerable improvement on the old Shadow, the early cars are basically old Rolls-Royces in modern clothes, and drive as such. That is to say considerably wallowy on the road, with fi nger-light steering, not up to the sporting prowess of the later models, especially the Bentleys. There again Rollers are all about dignity and class rather than a sporty drive – if it’s the latter that you‘re after then the Brooklands is the much better bet. Remember, though, that with the stiffer suspension set up Bentleys ride a lot fi rmer than their Rolls counterparts and this shows up the limitations of the four-decade-old chassis design, albeit refreshed. If you want comfort, then go for the Spirit.

It’s the same when talking performance. ‘Sedate, yet smooth’, best describes the Rolls, while ‘sizzling’ is a good word for the top Brooklands – it depends what you’re after. The four-speed auto models are worth going for as they perform better than the three-speeders. Fuel economy will never be a strong point with a Rolls, of course, but we know of owners who claim 18mpg when cruising gently along, which is the best way to drive this car, letting the frantic world thrash by.Any new Rolls-Royce is a major event and, generally, the press reception to the Spirit mirrored this. It’s fair to say that the car didn’t set the world alight, like the Shadow did back in ’65, but there again the game had moved onconsiderably over the decades. “Not perfect but gets close” hailed on weekly title back in 1981 although by then the hacks had moved on to sportier, faster – if brasher – Jags and Mercs when talking about the best cars in the world.

Prices

We won’t overdo the old cliche stuff here, and talk about running such posh metalwork for Ford money, but it’s a proven fact that you can buy an old Silver Spirit for the price of a second-hand Mondeo. Whether that’s actually a good idea is highly debateable. While you frequently see oldSilver Spirits sell for just a few thousand, these are going to be real liabilities to own. Given the cost and complexity of these machines, it’s best to buy the best you can afford – preferably from a known specialist. To get into anything like a decent car you need to spend around £7-8000, and there are plenty of good cars to be had at specialists for £10,000, plus some really superb ones for under £20K. The main rule when buying a Rolls or Bentley is this: pay as much as you can and buy on condition and history, not age or that tempting screen price. Right now these cars are good value, so don’t unnecessarily penny pinch. As Charles Rolls remarked ‘The quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten’. Hear, hear.