Lot 303: 1995 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit III

Introduced by Rolls-Royce in 1980, the Silver Spirit was the first of a new generation of models for the company which would form the basis for the Silver Spur, Silver Dawn, Limousine and Park Ward. The same chassis was also used by sister company Bentley for its new Mulsanne/Eight series, and it would enjoy a long life right up until the entire range was replaced following the separation of two of Great Britain's most illustrious marques and their respective sale to BMW and Volkswagen in 1998. Sharing the basic floorpan of the Silver Shadow as well as its 6,750cc V8 engine, the Silver Spirit was not entirely new and naturally inherent in its design was the high degree of ride quality courtesy of the self-levelling suspension from the Shadow, this time using a Girling automatic hydraulic ride height control system and gas-filled shock absorbers; the Silver Spur, produced concurrently, was an otherwise long wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit. Notably, both models were the first Rolls-Royces to feature a retractable Spirit of Ecstasy, the spring-loaded mascot disappearing into the radiator shell if dislodged from its position. Launched at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Silver Spirit II and Silver Spur II again had the suspension as the main innovation due to it featuring a fully automatic system which adjusted the shock absorbers at all four wheels in real time. The Silver Spirit III and Silver Spur III which followed in 1993 differed in having improvements to the traditional V8 engine, with a new intake manifold and modified cylinder heads increasing the power output which was still stated simply as 'adequate' in company literature. Dual airbags were another new feature, and the rear seats were now independently adjustable. Finished in Georgian Silver with complementary blue interior, and serviced since new by Broughtons of Cheltenham, this fine Rolls-Royce, which has had just two owners from new, is offered in excellent condition. It comes with full service history, V5 registration document, MoT test certificate valid until August and a road fund licence which expires in February 2009.