Description
Chapter 1: The model After 15 years of faithful service, the Silver Shadow was due to be replaced. A delicate mission to follow the car that had “democratised” the stainless marque Rolls-Royce, as the first Rolls-Royce to be driven by the owner himself, and not by a chauffeur, as in the past. It was also a true icon of the sixties, the great and the good of this world having owned a Silver Shadow (or several). Its successor, the “SZ” type, was named Silver Spirit (or Spur for the long-wheelbase variant) and was unveiled at the Paris show in 1980. With clean lines very much in keeping with its era, it stood in sharp contrast to the curves of its forebear. In terms of size, very imposing for the European market (a contemporary S‑Class measures only 495 cm, almost 30 cm shorter!), and with its high build quality (anything that shines is metal, and often delicately polished stainless steel), the newcomer retains a presence worthy of the brand, and any competition, if there is any, is incapable of offering it. With a stratospheric price approaching a million Francs, almost three Mercedes 500 SELs, it moved in circles accessible to very few, reserving the greatest exclusivity for its ultra-rich owner. The naysayers of the time would say it offers nothing more than a Silver Shadow II. It is true that, technically, and unlike the Silver Shadow in its day, it evolved very little. No doubt mainly the result of poor management by the marketing people, because in reality the Silver Shadow II served as a testbed for all the technical evolutions proposed by the Spirit. Among them, rack and pinion steering, a more economical carburation system (!), and above all a completely new hydraulic system fed with mineral fluid. It has the advantage of being gentler on components, and also enables the establishment of a true hydro-pneumatic rear suspension, whereas the Silver Shadow used only a conventional damper with an attitude corrector. In the end, while the novelty effect is somewhat diluted, the production of these technical novelties on the Silver Shadow II allowed them to be validated, and thus to launch a new model that, from the outset, would not suffer from design flaws. The new bodywork brings, however, a real change in the on-board feel. The glass surfaces are increased compared to the Shadow, and the greater width of the cabin generously benefits tall drivers. Lacking the means to develop a new model, Rolls-Royce did everything possible to keep the “SZ” going for 18 years. Across four generations (80/ 89, 89/ 93, 94/ 95 and 96/ 98), 9, 657 Silver Spirits were produced, and 9, 163 Silver Spurs. Chapter 2: The story of this Silver Spur This is a rare example of the very first Silver Spurs. Recognisable by its smaller rear window, it would be produced in only a few hundred units. Very quickly, the Silver Spur would receive the same rear window as the Spirit, no doubt to reduce production costs which were already prohibitive. It was ordered with rare factory options: a wood-rimmed steering wheel, the golden mascot and the leather extended to the dashboard, in place of black skai (vinyl). It has a documented history, which is rare enough to be noted, so the service book shows that this Silver Spur was delivered on 21 August 1981 by Schmohl of Zurich to its illustrious owner, a member of the Al Thani family, sovereigns of Qatar. Given the scale of the Al Thani family’s car fleet, the Silver Spur was little used. At most, it covered 4, 000 km between summer 1983 and summer 1984. In July 1993, it shows only 22, 000 miles, and was probably stored until its arrival in France in 2007, with 28, 000 miles. We bought it once from a Parisian collector in November 2015 with 33, 000 miles, then sold it very quickly. Our client kept it until July 2021 before selling it at auction. A private individual then acquired it and entrusted us to carry out reliability improvements in early 2024. After 9, 000 km travelled without a hint of trouble, we have just sold a Bentley and bought back this Silver Spur for the second time in 10 years. Chapter 3: X‑rays For the past ten years we have been following this Silver Spur; it is a well-known old acquaintance. Given its 44 years, this example is in remarkable condition. The bodywork shows no major defects; the left flank is still in original paint, while the bonnet, boot and right flank were repainted a few years ago, with no visible signs to an untrained eye. We have found no trace of a major accident, nor...
