On eBay in Independence, Oregon is this nice looking 1999 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur, with the bids up near $7,000 and the reserve not yet met. The auction isn’t over yet, but chances are someone will get to drive away in this luxurious chariot for less than the price of a used Toyota Corolla. We’re told the black with tan interior Spur is “mechanically restored,” and is “an excellent running and driving car.” It’s had new head gaskets and a valve job with guides, new spheres, a boiled-out radiator, rebuilt power steering, ABS and air conditioning (with “all genuine factory RR parts.”) The battery is new also. The car has 135,000 miles on the odometer, maybe not all that much for an under-stressed power plant.
What needs doing? Not a whole lot for now. There are some scratches and dings. The hubcap center logos should be replaced. The wood on the doors is far from perfect. The car comes with the factory jack and tools, and has new injectors. The car is factory turbocharged and is one of the last 50 made. The seller adds: “It’s a fantastic car to make perfect. Low reserve. They will never make cars like this again. Last of an era!”
Maybe so. The Silver Spirit was introduced in 1980, and served as the basis for a bunch of other cars, including the Spur, basically the long-wheelbase version of the Spirit. Spur and Spirit featured a 6.75-liter V-8 and a THM400 three-speed automatic from General Motors. The bodywork was manufactured by Pressed Steel. These cars had hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension, with Girling-sourced automatic ride height and gas shocks. The suspension can give trouble, but this car has new spheres. American cars got sealed-beam headlights.
What we have here is the Mark IV final version of the Spur/Spirit, introduced as a 1996 model. The cars got a Garrett turbocharger, integrated bumpers and 16-inch wheels. Production basically ended in 1997, but cars continued to trickle out through 2000. So the 1999 is pretty rare.
From the photos, this car does indeed look very tidy, and the recent work should keep it intact for a while. But you never know, and Rolls-Royce parts are not at all cheap. Classic.com puts the 1995 Silver Spur (the last year available on the site) at $26,142, reflecting the maintenance reality. When it was new, that ’95 Spur sold for $169,900, but people don’t buy Rolls-Royces for an investment. The bidding here will go higher, but whether it will reach reserve is anyone’s guess.
Jimmy, isn’t the trans an O/D unit ?
The venerable GM Hydramatic 4L80E
These things are tanks. Love that super square trunk and backend. Beautiful cars.
Who ever gets to own this Spur should take care of the little needs it now has and drive it for many moons. I would love to have the funds to make it a reality for this chief. Just the tool kit would be enough.
A tool kit with a crescent wrench and hog nose pliers? What were you supposed to do with that? Beautiful car, though it’s on this web site I first saw the saying that there’s nothing more expensive than a cheap Rolls Royce. I’m more of a Bentley guy anyway. There’s a couple in my neighborhood I lust after. Keep dreaming.
any rolls with over 100M miles is a rolls better ridden in, not owned. I had a friend years ago who had tons of money and two rolls, a 74 shadow and a 64 PV. in 84 he told me he had just spent $10M on a new voltage regulator and a tune up. I was 30 yrs old, to me that was a fortune. he drive the phantom down to go to dinner one night from his mansion in palm beach, and it broke down and sat in my driveway for 2 wks till he could find a flat bed big enough to drag that sled back to PB. I like reliability after years of having exotics. and rolls isn’t in that paradigm.
Ended at $11,200.
Reserve Not Met.