1997 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur
Draper, UT, 84020
Features:
Engine: V8
Transmission: Auto
Drive Type: RWD
Exterior: Black
Interior: Black
Description:
In as showroom pristine condition as you'll possibly find: a religiously maintained 6 3/4 liter Turbo V-8 (yes, Turbo), flawless Connolly leather everywhere (including headliner); perfect Wilton carpeting and stored lambswool overlay rugs; beautiful inlayed burled walnut. Imperial black paint that appears dripping wet over coordinating black hides with St. James red piping. $30k in maintenance over just the last few years alone - these vehicles are not meant to sit; an ultra-low mileage example may look great, but don't be fooled - insane major services will be required by a certified technician who knows these well. Serviced with synthetic fluids only, all receipts accompany car. Stored in climate-controlled garages throughout its entire life. Regularly, and gently exercised to keep everything lubricated and in proper order (approx 3500 miles/yr). If she needed it, she got it and then some - freshly installed OEM spec Avon CR-227 tires (I was told the last set in the country from RR Beverly Hills at the time - August 2021). I replaced the glass headlamps due to a slight film built up inside over time - they now sparkle as wonderfully as the rest of her. Never driven in inclement weather. All seals, rubber, paint and leather treated frequently and exclusively with Swissvax products and consequently look showroom new. Only hand-washed (two bucket method) as needed.
Only 198 LHD's constructed in 1997 - and the only Silver Spur to feature a powerful light pressure turbo paired with a sleeker, refined body, modified suspension and specially designed tires - Crewe deftly intertwined the sumptuous Rolls Royce ride with a softened Bentley driving edge - an ultra-rarefied beast wrapped in the glorious clothing of understated elegance.
The final and ultimate expression of what Rolls Royce was really all about: limited number production cars, lavished with hand-work by automotive craftsmen and intended for use on the most important of occasions. The finest year for the last true Rolls Royce motorcar, completely hand-built and crafted in Crewe before VW assumed control in 1998 and the iconic and storied motorcars were tragically replaced with German, mass-produced, uber-BMW's.
These final iterations of the Spur line have largely gone overlooked and misunderstood, due mostly to the sheer scarcity in number - very few people have seen one, let alone driven one. The Silver Spur model evolved and improved over a twenty-year span - and once you get behind the wheel, especially this final model, you'll quickly fall under her spell. Reviews of these cars most often focus in vivid detail on the luxuriousness of the interiors, and while they were all hand-crafted and richly appointed, you seldom hear of their beautifully executed mechanical intricacies: the interconnected braking and suspensions system; nitrogen spheres; high pressure engine mounted fluid pumps; redundancies and so on. It was more than merely plush, it was a highly advanced, mechanical piece of rolling art. My RR service technician, a certified expert on these, likens them to light aircraft in complexity; Precision built? - Yes... Complicated? - Guilty as charged... But, so beautifully constructed, and ohhh so wonderful a machine in which to glide down the road looking and feeling bloody elegant. And while there's no question they can be expensive to properly maintain, they were built to last a lifetime and when fully sorted and operating entirely as designed, especially these final incarnations, there's just nothing that compares in the realm of luxury, classic or modern. And the smell of the interior?.. Well, if you've never experienced it, you've no idea what you're missing.
