This is the most regretful sale, and for those of you who know me or bought cars from me in the past, might be disappointed by the lack of a ridiculous or humorous advert, but I'm listing the car here, and at the moment ONLY here, as I want it to go to a good home.
I'm only selling as I recently sold my house and moved into a terrace house with no driveway or suitable garage (it doesn't fit in my council garage!), and the truth is the car will just deteriorate, so I'd rather pass it on to someone else to enjoy.
Before you jump to prejudiced stereotypical assumptions, I will say that this car has been the most reliable car I've owned. I suspect that is as much by chance as by logic, but I've had it just under 3 years and it passed both of its MOTs in my stewardship on the first time, with zero advisories, at an actual proper MOT station, not a bloke with a laser printer. Not even my Prius can match that (let down by a failed numberplate bulb once!).
It is also the most satisfying and unique experience to drive it, so incredibly different from any other cars I've owner or driven, and something that I will forever cherish, as every outing brings with it a sense of occasion that I've only ever felt when driving a brand new 12-plate Phantom.
It is a 1989 Silver Spirit, assembled in Crewe, finished in bold but elegant Tudor Red, with an inviting and warm biscuit leather interior, with red piping and red carpets, with 71k miles on the clock, with me having no evidence to suggest that this is not original. It has had 3 owners before me according to the V5, although looking at the dates, I suspect it might actually be one (the last two are over 20 years and are a company director and his company).
Exterior
The car is finished in its original hue of Tudor Red, as specified in the owner's handbook and I believe it has never been restored or subject to a full respray. The paint polishes up beautifully, but is not without imperfections. This car was one of approximately 10 that I viewed when buying, and I picked it based on its originality and honesty, rather than the many examples which had been tarted up, sprayed or touched up prior to sale. As such, the car shows signs of its prior life with the original owner for many years in Wales (I can only imagine what a rarity this car would have been back then!) with a peppering of stone chips on the front panels, and a number of small dings and cuts and bruises from when the majestic car had to mix with the paupers in supermarket car parks. There is a bit on the rear quarter which looks like it had either been touched up locally or suffered from some laquer fade, as it polishes up ever so slightly different to the rest of the car. In a few discrete areas there is evidence of the paint having been polished through to the primer on raised edges or features.
Underneath the brutally honest paint lies original steel which is 100% solid. The first thing I did when I bought the car was spend £500 on a professional strip down and treatment of the underbody with Dinitrol. This was carried out over a few weeks by JR Classics up near Doncaster, and my rather "odd purchase" was vindicated when they said the Rolls was in remarkably solid condition. No welding was required or has been since. The condition of the steel was the main reason I purchased this example, and I urge anyone to turn up with a magnet to appreciate that there is nothing beyond superficial imperfections on this car.
All the lights and glass are complete and in good condition, with the only imperfection being some laminate hazing on the rear screen. The rear screen on these is not bonded, so is a fairly easy swap with a good used piece of glass, but it never bothered me enough to warrant doing anything about it as the car was used for enjoyment rather than for concourse!
The closures all operate with a precise and solid feel, with this car managing to perfectly balance the effortless, silent and smooth operation with a heavy and robust positive latching action. The rear numberplate panel is showing superficial signs of corrosion (aluminium), and could do with a refinish in satin black.
The brightwork polishes up beautifully, and can probably benefit from more elbow grease than I can afford to commit lately. Being a Rolls Royce, most of the "chrome" is actually stainless steel, which explains its great condition and lack of pitting or corrosion. There is minor pitting on the few components which ARE chrome, such as the door handles, but this does not detract from the overall appearance.
Lastly, it would not be a Rolls Royce without its legendary grille, which is complete and without damage, and the beautiful flying lady, the Spirit of Ecstasy. The original owner of the car specified an optional 24k gold plating on the young lady, but over the years and many many dedicated polishes, the finish has worn away to reveal the stainless steel sculpture beneath. I personally am not a fan of gold plating, so if I was keeping the car any longer, I would have picked/polished off the remains of the goldplating, but I appreciate that the patina and originality might be of interest to some potential buyers, so the choice is yours.
Interior
Inside, the Rolls Royce is everything you expect - leather, lambswool, wood, and an overload of plushness. There really is nothing that has the same sense of ambiance as the interior of this car, with both smell, feel and appearance ensuring that enough of your senses are massaged by the oppulence. The electric seats, windows, and mirrors all function in a leisurely and calm fashion. The leather is in good condition, and I suspect has either been refreshed or connolised at some point in the past as the finish is great, and has not deteriorated at all in my ownership. The rear occupants have the luxury of deployable wood veneer picnic tables, which are in good condition. The car features the optional leather upper canopy, with the pillars and headlining being covered in colour matched hide (I won't call it rare, as there are a lot of Rolls Royce cars with it, but equally, there are a lot which haven't got it).
Overall, the wood in the car is all original, matching and in very good condition compared to a lot of examples out there. The dashboard features a 4 panel bookmatched veneer which is a beautiful and delightful bit of detailing. I am also always incredibly satisfied by the parquetry on the door cappings and the veneer finish that is evident upon opening a picnic table or glovebox lid. Unfortunately, in the last month, I've had one of the veneer door cappings crack in the lacquer finish as a result of being parked outside in the sun I suspect. It's a major crack, but the lacquer hasn't separated from the veneer underneath, so I don't know if there is a delicate repair that can be performed without a major strip down - I've deliberately not touched it or done anything, so you can see for yourself. The rest of the wood does not suffer from delamination or any major damage, but to protect further given what's happened to the rear door capping, you might want to re-lacquer it in the near future.
The carpets are in good condition, and have genuine Rolls Royce red lambswool overmats, with the correct RR tags on them. I believe the overmats are from a 2 door Corniche model as the fit of the rear mat is not 100%, but I can't be sure. With the plush carpet and overmats there, I guarantee that you will be taking your shoes off on any long trip, just to appreciate the 3 inches of pure luxury that you can bury your toes into. The lambswool still retains a high degree of waterproofing, making them easy to maintain with the occasional hoovering.
The switchgear and instruments are all present and functional, with the digital automatic climate control working well. The air conditioning did blow cold air the last time I used it (approx a year ago), however, on our first "warm" outing this year last weekend, it was not blowing colder than ambient, suggesting the gas has decided to vacate the system. I can't tell you whether that's jut because I've not used the AC for a year, and it needs a gas to wet the seals, or if the seals need replacing. They are approx £2 each from Flying Spares, and the compressor is easily accessible, so probably worth doing if you have the space to work on the car. The original radio with discrete 4 channel amplifier is present and functional, with only an intermittent pop/hiss from the rheostat when adjusting the volume. The sound quality from the 4 speakers is remarkably pleasant and well balanced, and a refreshing change from the over-equalised bass-focused sound set up of modern cars, which sound incredibly harsh in their delivery when compared to the RR.
The most delightful switch you will discover in the interior is the "horn loudness selector". I believe this used to be called the Town & Country horn, with a small electric horn on the quiet setting, and a larger more powerful air horn on the loud setting. Ironically, the compressor for the air horn seems to have suffered with breathing difficulties over the years, so now sounds more like a rumbling groan rather than a loud horn.
Indicators, lights and other functions are controlled by beautifully crafted, solid metal switches with a positive and most satisfying action. The car had a new battery last year, which is in great health.
The rear seats feature side facing vanity mirrors, map lights, as well as a number of "ambient" lighting in the heelboard and door panels, all in fully functioning order.
Chassis
The world's most overly complicated suspension and braking system? Quite possibly. If you think it's got an air of Citroen unpredictability and genius about it, you'll be delighted to know that the Rolls Royce does indeed use a Citroen hydraulic system, modified for its application naturally. The car has beautifully tuned independent coil suspension at all four corners, with the rear axle having hydraulic self leveling, with an engine driven hydraulic pump which also runs two separate braking system. This is one of those rare cars that has a truly "decoupled" braking system, where the brake pedal is not directly connected to the brakes, rather it just operates a valve in the high pressure system. It is a wonderful and eccentric system, with an incomparable pedal feel, one that takes getting used to, but one that allows you to drive with remarkable smoothness in traffic.
The hydraulic system lights go out within a short while of the engine starting, and with the pressure built up and engine off, the pedal can be operated over 30 times before the lights illuminate. The car did have a slight weep of fluid from one of the brake pumps (there are two on the car, driving independent circuits for redundancy), and this was rebuilt with new o-rings to cure the weep. Two bottles of the correct Castrol hydraulic fluid are present in the boot. The brakes pull up well, and the ABS does work - I've only activated it once on a wet road to check that it is in fact operational, as it is very rare that you drive this car in a manner that would require one to stomp on the brake pedal harshly enough to need the electronic butler. Handy tip for brake pads - they are common with a Ford Cortina or some such of the era, but there are 2 calipers per front wheel, so you need double the number of pads.
The suspension pumps up to an even height, and behaves itself impeccably, smoothing out imperfections that would have other cars shaking through their bones. I guarantee that after using this car on a regular route, and then switching to a "regular" car, you will pick up road imperfections you forgot even existed. There is a slight groan from the front suspension when going over large speed bumps, and this only manifests itself after periods of sitting idle, and we've traced it with fairly high certainty to the anti roll bar bushes which are sticking slightly on such articulations. They still offer full control of the front axle, with no abnormal knocks or play evident in any of the joints.
The steering is direct, and there are few pleasures in life greater than threading the monumental front end of this regal car along a gently winding country road, guiding the Spirit of Ecstasy, at the end of the flowing wake channel trail running the full length of the colossal bonnet, piloted expertly with precise and delicate inputs through the thin-rimmed, leather bound bakelite steering wheel. The car has had a wheel alignment in my ownership, and now that the tyres have worn down slightly, could do with another one as the steering is ever so slightly off centre. All 4 wheels are bound by the correct specification Avon tyres, with decent tread on them. Slight wobble evident at 50-60mph on the last journey suggests a re-balance could be in order.
The one bit that lets down the wheels are the wheel trims, which are made of a stainless steel cap, with a painted trim ring clipped onto it. Whilst the stainless steel hub caps are intact and in good condition, the trim rings have corroded over the years, and one is down to 50% of its original form as a result. A set of 4 new trim rings is £80 + £24 for the clips + £20 for a can of Tudor Red cellulose, so it is not an exorbitant repair, and one that if I struggle to sell the car quickly, I will undertake myself.
Engine & Drivetrain
The heart of this landyacht is a traditional, 6 and three quarter V8, from an era and company that still used fractions rather than decimals. As you will all know, Rolls Royce thought it too vulgar to talk about horsepower, so never released any figures for this engine. However, us tinkers will quickly be able to reverse engineer a Bentley Turbo R with the same engine and circa 50% more power, which did quote in the region of 300HP, suggesting this 2.3 tonne beauty here is shuffled along with approximately 200 of Crewe's finest horses. The sound on start up and under load is a sublime and purposeful expression of a confident power reserve for any situation, whilst lifting off or sitting at idle will see the engine retreat into the background to an inaudible presence, made known only by the most delicate of tactile reverberations.
You'll all have heard how in a Rolls Royce, cruising at 60mph, the only thing you'll hear is the sound of the clock ticking. That's clearly curse word, as this car has a digital clock, but the car is a genuine retreat from reality when sitting at an easy cruise.
Being a 1989 model it is of the fuel injection vintage, and as such returns an almost reasonable 18-19mpg in mixed use, whilst still being able to get up into triple figure velocities with relative ease. Please note the fuel economy figure and the top speed performance are mutually exclusive. It starts on the button, and has never let me down except during a 5 week "holiday" when the alarm was left on. The engine sits within the specified operating range for oil pressure and water temperature, has never overheated or had any trouble. The gearbox is a 3-speed column shift GM automatic box, which curse word beautifully through the gears in line with specifications. The torque converter engages beautifully and makes both crawling in traffic as well as spirited progress a calm and enjoyable affair. There are no whines or knocks from the prop or diff.
With the car having clocked up a modest 71k miles, with Rolls Royce stamps up to 60k miles, it's no wonder that the car drives beautifully, with no smoking or performance issues. The only problem with the engine is there is a minor exhaust leak from the right hand cylinder bank that has appeared recently. It is not detectable in terms of exhaust gas leaks, and has not been an issue at the MOT (I asked the tester to have a look at it), but is audible as a ticking. I have not had the time or garage space to investigate further, but suspect its an exhaust gasket that needs replacing, as these are known to go. A replacement set of 4 (enough to do a cylinder bank) is approx £10 from Flying Spares, but hand up in the air, I cannot honestly tell you whether it's a 10 minute or 10 hour job to replace them.
The car features cruise control, which (rather rarely for these in my experience of test drives) is fully functional.
Accessories
The car comes with its original, English leather bound owners manual pack, which has the service history stamped up to approx 4 years ago by Rolls Royce. In my ownership the car has only had fluid and filter changes, and the aforementioned tracking and brake pump work, but I have not stamped the manual or taken it to an indy in case someone wants to continue taking it to RR (before you commit, I got a quote from a RR dealer for a regular service, and it was a four figure sum starting with a 2, which did not include the £45 fee for an MOT). From that quote on, I have done all the servicing myself. The collection of documents also features the original cassette "introduction" to the Rolls Royce.
The original jack, toolkit, bulbs and white gloves are all in place in the red carpeted boot.
The most unassuming of keys you'll ever own, the Rolls Royce is unlocked and started with a single octagonal key, which is only branded Yale, and is the original specification. The car features a Meta alarm system of the era, with the instructions included in the owners manual as this was dealer installed, complete with volumetric sensors, alarm, and remote central locking. The remote button has deteriorated and is missing, but the fob is fully functional if you can push the microswitch. As There is only one remote key fob, I had disabled the alarm with the hard key switch, but this can be turned back on easily. I'd recommend getting a company that specialises in re-programming new Meta keyfobs to provide replacements (I believe they're about £50 a piece) as the current key fob design is no longer available from any source, and as such a new fob with new transponder would be required - I never bought one as the secure storage of my car meant that the alarm wasn't essential, and I just use the key to open the door as there's a mighty satisfying clunk of the central locking operating when you turn the key.
Also included is a tailor made Stormforce breathable exterior car cover, which is in excellent condition, and has been used only on a few occasions when the car was parked up for a couple of weeks on my drive.
That's it for the spec. I'm *sure* I've missed something, so feel free to ask any questions or to come have a look on weekday evenings, and I'm around a lot of weekends these days. I'm more than happy to take you out in it as it's taxed and insured, but no test drives unless you've got insurance, driver's license, and full cash amount in my hand before getting behind the wheel. It's too easy to wipe out an entire town block with the front end of this thing and not realise.
I would be willing to deliver it for the cost of fuel, but only with up front payment (which I won't be returning if you change your mind), so I doubt anybody would go for this option as it's a car you really should have a look at before buying!
I'm after £7,700 for it, it's not the cheapest car out there, but it's in the bottom half of the market.
Please note, this car is NOT 100% mint and I did not buy it as such. It is however, in better nick and more original than some of the cars I looked at that were in the £10-13k range when I was looking, as that was my budget. For reference, I paid £8k for it 2 and a half years ago with just under 70k miles on the clock.
If you're handy and have time, for far less than £10k, this car could be truly impeccable. Or you can spend a few hundred pounds on some minor bits and regular maintenance, and enjoy it as is for years to come - I bought the car for my own driving pleasure, and it has delivered in absolute spades, and honestly has been better than I ever thought it would be. I'm under no illusion that this is some sort of "future investment to get rich quick" - it's an old car, it'll only be an investment in 20 years if you're lucky, so don't worry about that too much, just enjoy it knowing it won't lose much of its value.
So here's the interesting bit.
Given my situation of lack of parking for the car, I would like to move it on sooner rather than later. As such I will listen to offers, and I will consider swaps as a lower priority if no interest from a cash buyer. High weighting given to time - if you can pick it up tomorrow, feel free to make a lower offer.
Rules for swaps are as follows (and are firm):
- Either direct swap or cash my way only.
- Only pre-1970's cars, and preference to pre-60's cars.
- The ONLY exceptions to the above are electric cars with outright owned batteries (Leaf, MIEV, Peugeot Ion etc.), or something that is pre-1976 (tax exempt) but really something special/unique.
- Only cars in running order, which do not need major restoration, as I do not have the facilities at the moment.
- No large cars - I'm not sure what the exact dimensions limit is but we're talking <4.7m long, <1.9m wide, <1.7m tall.
- No motorbikes unless it's a Motocompo or some similar vintage moped, up to a max £1,000 value.
I will get better photos this week, but best seen in person.
Thanks for your time
Pavel
I'm only selling as I recently sold my house and moved into a terrace house with no driveway or suitable garage (it doesn't fit in my council garage!), and the truth is the car will just deteriorate, so I'd rather pass it on to someone else to enjoy.
Before you jump to prejudiced stereotypical assumptions, I will say that this car has been the most reliable car I've owned. I suspect that is as much by chance as by logic, but I've had it just under 3 years and it passed both of its MOTs in my stewardship on the first time, with zero advisories, at an actual proper MOT station, not a bloke with a laser printer. Not even my Prius can match that (let down by a failed numberplate bulb once!).
It is also the most satisfying and unique experience to drive it, so incredibly different from any other cars I've owner or driven, and something that I will forever cherish, as every outing brings with it a sense of occasion that I've only ever felt when driving a brand new 12-plate Phantom.
It is a 1989 Silver Spirit, assembled in Crewe, finished in bold but elegant Tudor Red, with an inviting and warm biscuit leather interior, with red piping and red carpets, with 71k miles on the clock, with me having no evidence to suggest that this is not original. It has had 3 owners before me according to the V5, although looking at the dates, I suspect it might actually be one (the last two are over 20 years and are a company director and his company).
Exterior
The car is finished in its original hue of Tudor Red, as specified in the owner's handbook and I believe it has never been restored or subject to a full respray. The paint polishes up beautifully, but is not without imperfections. This car was one of approximately 10 that I viewed when buying, and I picked it based on its originality and honesty, rather than the many examples which had been tarted up, sprayed or touched up prior to sale. As such, the car shows signs of its prior life with the original owner for many years in Wales (I can only imagine what a rarity this car would have been back then!) with a peppering of stone chips on the front panels, and a number of small dings and cuts and bruises from when the majestic car had to mix with the paupers in supermarket car parks. There is a bit on the rear quarter which looks like it had either been touched up locally or suffered from some laquer fade, as it polishes up ever so slightly different to the rest of the car. In a few discrete areas there is evidence of the paint having been polished through to the primer on raised edges or features.
Underneath the brutally honest paint lies original steel which is 100% solid. The first thing I did when I bought the car was spend £500 on a professional strip down and treatment of the underbody with Dinitrol. This was carried out over a few weeks by JR Classics up near Doncaster, and my rather "odd purchase" was vindicated when they said the Rolls was in remarkably solid condition. No welding was required or has been since. The condition of the steel was the main reason I purchased this example, and I urge anyone to turn up with a magnet to appreciate that there is nothing beyond superficial imperfections on this car.
All the lights and glass are complete and in good condition, with the only imperfection being some laminate hazing on the rear screen. The rear screen on these is not bonded, so is a fairly easy swap with a good used piece of glass, but it never bothered me enough to warrant doing anything about it as the car was used for enjoyment rather than for concourse!
The closures all operate with a precise and solid feel, with this car managing to perfectly balance the effortless, silent and smooth operation with a heavy and robust positive latching action. The rear numberplate panel is showing superficial signs of corrosion (aluminium), and could do with a refinish in satin black.
The brightwork polishes up beautifully, and can probably benefit from more elbow grease than I can afford to commit lately. Being a Rolls Royce, most of the "chrome" is actually stainless steel, which explains its great condition and lack of pitting or corrosion. There is minor pitting on the few components which ARE chrome, such as the door handles, but this does not detract from the overall appearance.
Lastly, it would not be a Rolls Royce without its legendary grille, which is complete and without damage, and the beautiful flying lady, the Spirit of Ecstasy. The original owner of the car specified an optional 24k gold plating on the young lady, but over the years and many many dedicated polishes, the finish has worn away to reveal the stainless steel sculpture beneath. I personally am not a fan of gold plating, so if I was keeping the car any longer, I would have picked/polished off the remains of the goldplating, but I appreciate that the patina and originality might be of interest to some potential buyers, so the choice is yours.
Interior
Inside, the Rolls Royce is everything you expect - leather, lambswool, wood, and an overload of plushness. There really is nothing that has the same sense of ambiance as the interior of this car, with both smell, feel and appearance ensuring that enough of your senses are massaged by the oppulence. The electric seats, windows, and mirrors all function in a leisurely and calm fashion. The leather is in good condition, and I suspect has either been refreshed or connolised at some point in the past as the finish is great, and has not deteriorated at all in my ownership. The rear occupants have the luxury of deployable wood veneer picnic tables, which are in good condition. The car features the optional leather upper canopy, with the pillars and headlining being covered in colour matched hide (I won't call it rare, as there are a lot of Rolls Royce cars with it, but equally, there are a lot which haven't got it).
Overall, the wood in the car is all original, matching and in very good condition compared to a lot of examples out there. The dashboard features a 4 panel bookmatched veneer which is a beautiful and delightful bit of detailing. I am also always incredibly satisfied by the parquetry on the door cappings and the veneer finish that is evident upon opening a picnic table or glovebox lid. Unfortunately, in the last month, I've had one of the veneer door cappings crack in the lacquer finish as a result of being parked outside in the sun I suspect. It's a major crack, but the lacquer hasn't separated from the veneer underneath, so I don't know if there is a delicate repair that can be performed without a major strip down - I've deliberately not touched it or done anything, so you can see for yourself. The rest of the wood does not suffer from delamination or any major damage, but to protect further given what's happened to the rear door capping, you might want to re-lacquer it in the near future.
The carpets are in good condition, and have genuine Rolls Royce red lambswool overmats, with the correct RR tags on them. I believe the overmats are from a 2 door Corniche model as the fit of the rear mat is not 100%, but I can't be sure. With the plush carpet and overmats there, I guarantee that you will be taking your shoes off on any long trip, just to appreciate the 3 inches of pure luxury that you can bury your toes into. The lambswool still retains a high degree of waterproofing, making them easy to maintain with the occasional hoovering.
The switchgear and instruments are all present and functional, with the digital automatic climate control working well. The air conditioning did blow cold air the last time I used it (approx a year ago), however, on our first "warm" outing this year last weekend, it was not blowing colder than ambient, suggesting the gas has decided to vacate the system. I can't tell you whether that's jut because I've not used the AC for a year, and it needs a gas to wet the seals, or if the seals need replacing. They are approx £2 each from Flying Spares, and the compressor is easily accessible, so probably worth doing if you have the space to work on the car. The original radio with discrete 4 channel amplifier is present and functional, with only an intermittent pop/hiss from the rheostat when adjusting the volume. The sound quality from the 4 speakers is remarkably pleasant and well balanced, and a refreshing change from the over-equalised bass-focused sound set up of modern cars, which sound incredibly harsh in their delivery when compared to the RR.
The most delightful switch you will discover in the interior is the "horn loudness selector". I believe this used to be called the Town & Country horn, with a small electric horn on the quiet setting, and a larger more powerful air horn on the loud setting. Ironically, the compressor for the air horn seems to have suffered with breathing difficulties over the years, so now sounds more like a rumbling groan rather than a loud horn.
Indicators, lights and other functions are controlled by beautifully crafted, solid metal switches with a positive and most satisfying action. The car had a new battery last year, which is in great health.
The rear seats feature side facing vanity mirrors, map lights, as well as a number of "ambient" lighting in the heelboard and door panels, all in fully functioning order.
Chassis
The world's most overly complicated suspension and braking system? Quite possibly. If you think it's got an air of Citroen unpredictability and genius about it, you'll be delighted to know that the Rolls Royce does indeed use a Citroen hydraulic system, modified for its application naturally. The car has beautifully tuned independent coil suspension at all four corners, with the rear axle having hydraulic self leveling, with an engine driven hydraulic pump which also runs two separate braking system. This is one of those rare cars that has a truly "decoupled" braking system, where the brake pedal is not directly connected to the brakes, rather it just operates a valve in the high pressure system. It is a wonderful and eccentric system, with an incomparable pedal feel, one that takes getting used to, but one that allows you to drive with remarkable smoothness in traffic.
The hydraulic system lights go out within a short while of the engine starting, and with the pressure built up and engine off, the pedal can be operated over 30 times before the lights illuminate. The car did have a slight weep of fluid from one of the brake pumps (there are two on the car, driving independent circuits for redundancy), and this was rebuilt with new o-rings to cure the weep. Two bottles of the correct Castrol hydraulic fluid are present in the boot. The brakes pull up well, and the ABS does work - I've only activated it once on a wet road to check that it is in fact operational, as it is very rare that you drive this car in a manner that would require one to stomp on the brake pedal harshly enough to need the electronic butler. Handy tip for brake pads - they are common with a Ford Cortina or some such of the era, but there are 2 calipers per front wheel, so you need double the number of pads.
The suspension pumps up to an even height, and behaves itself impeccably, smoothing out imperfections that would have other cars shaking through their bones. I guarantee that after using this car on a regular route, and then switching to a "regular" car, you will pick up road imperfections you forgot even existed. There is a slight groan from the front suspension when going over large speed bumps, and this only manifests itself after periods of sitting idle, and we've traced it with fairly high certainty to the anti roll bar bushes which are sticking slightly on such articulations. They still offer full control of the front axle, with no abnormal knocks or play evident in any of the joints.
The steering is direct, and there are few pleasures in life greater than threading the monumental front end of this regal car along a gently winding country road, guiding the Spirit of Ecstasy, at the end of the flowing wake channel trail running the full length of the colossal bonnet, piloted expertly with precise and delicate inputs through the thin-rimmed, leather bound bakelite steering wheel. The car has had a wheel alignment in my ownership, and now that the tyres have worn down slightly, could do with another one as the steering is ever so slightly off centre. All 4 wheels are bound by the correct specification Avon tyres, with decent tread on them. Slight wobble evident at 50-60mph on the last journey suggests a re-balance could be in order.
The one bit that lets down the wheels are the wheel trims, which are made of a stainless steel cap, with a painted trim ring clipped onto it. Whilst the stainless steel hub caps are intact and in good condition, the trim rings have corroded over the years, and one is down to 50% of its original form as a result. A set of 4 new trim rings is £80 + £24 for the clips + £20 for a can of Tudor Red cellulose, so it is not an exorbitant repair, and one that if I struggle to sell the car quickly, I will undertake myself.
Engine & Drivetrain
The heart of this landyacht is a traditional, 6 and three quarter V8, from an era and company that still used fractions rather than decimals. As you will all know, Rolls Royce thought it too vulgar to talk about horsepower, so never released any figures for this engine. However, us tinkers will quickly be able to reverse engineer a Bentley Turbo R with the same engine and circa 50% more power, which did quote in the region of 300HP, suggesting this 2.3 tonne beauty here is shuffled along with approximately 200 of Crewe's finest horses. The sound on start up and under load is a sublime and purposeful expression of a confident power reserve for any situation, whilst lifting off or sitting at idle will see the engine retreat into the background to an inaudible presence, made known only by the most delicate of tactile reverberations.
You'll all have heard how in a Rolls Royce, cruising at 60mph, the only thing you'll hear is the sound of the clock ticking. That's clearly curse word, as this car has a digital clock, but the car is a genuine retreat from reality when sitting at an easy cruise.
Being a 1989 model it is of the fuel injection vintage, and as such returns an almost reasonable 18-19mpg in mixed use, whilst still being able to get up into triple figure velocities with relative ease. Please note the fuel economy figure and the top speed performance are mutually exclusive. It starts on the button, and has never let me down except during a 5 week "holiday" when the alarm was left on. The engine sits within the specified operating range for oil pressure and water temperature, has never overheated or had any trouble. The gearbox is a 3-speed column shift GM automatic box, which curse word beautifully through the gears in line with specifications. The torque converter engages beautifully and makes both crawling in traffic as well as spirited progress a calm and enjoyable affair. There are no whines or knocks from the prop or diff.
With the car having clocked up a modest 71k miles, with Rolls Royce stamps up to 60k miles, it's no wonder that the car drives beautifully, with no smoking or performance issues. The only problem with the engine is there is a minor exhaust leak from the right hand cylinder bank that has appeared recently. It is not detectable in terms of exhaust gas leaks, and has not been an issue at the MOT (I asked the tester to have a look at it), but is audible as a ticking. I have not had the time or garage space to investigate further, but suspect its an exhaust gasket that needs replacing, as these are known to go. A replacement set of 4 (enough to do a cylinder bank) is approx £10 from Flying Spares, but hand up in the air, I cannot honestly tell you whether it's a 10 minute or 10 hour job to replace them.
The car features cruise control, which (rather rarely for these in my experience of test drives) is fully functional.
Accessories
The car comes with its original, English leather bound owners manual pack, which has the service history stamped up to approx 4 years ago by Rolls Royce. In my ownership the car has only had fluid and filter changes, and the aforementioned tracking and brake pump work, but I have not stamped the manual or taken it to an indy in case someone wants to continue taking it to RR (before you commit, I got a quote from a RR dealer for a regular service, and it was a four figure sum starting with a 2, which did not include the £45 fee for an MOT). From that quote on, I have done all the servicing myself. The collection of documents also features the original cassette "introduction" to the Rolls Royce.
The original jack, toolkit, bulbs and white gloves are all in place in the red carpeted boot.
The most unassuming of keys you'll ever own, the Rolls Royce is unlocked and started with a single octagonal key, which is only branded Yale, and is the original specification. The car features a Meta alarm system of the era, with the instructions included in the owners manual as this was dealer installed, complete with volumetric sensors, alarm, and remote central locking. The remote button has deteriorated and is missing, but the fob is fully functional if you can push the microswitch. As There is only one remote key fob, I had disabled the alarm with the hard key switch, but this can be turned back on easily. I'd recommend getting a company that specialises in re-programming new Meta keyfobs to provide replacements (I believe they're about £50 a piece) as the current key fob design is no longer available from any source, and as such a new fob with new transponder would be required - I never bought one as the secure storage of my car meant that the alarm wasn't essential, and I just use the key to open the door as there's a mighty satisfying clunk of the central locking operating when you turn the key.
Also included is a tailor made Stormforce breathable exterior car cover, which is in excellent condition, and has been used only on a few occasions when the car was parked up for a couple of weeks on my drive.
That's it for the spec. I'm *sure* I've missed something, so feel free to ask any questions or to come have a look on weekday evenings, and I'm around a lot of weekends these days. I'm more than happy to take you out in it as it's taxed and insured, but no test drives unless you've got insurance, driver's license, and full cash amount in my hand before getting behind the wheel. It's too easy to wipe out an entire town block with the front end of this thing and not realise.
I would be willing to deliver it for the cost of fuel, but only with up front payment (which I won't be returning if you change your mind), so I doubt anybody would go for this option as it's a car you really should have a look at before buying!
I'm after £7,700 for it, it's not the cheapest car out there, but it's in the bottom half of the market.
Please note, this car is NOT 100% mint and I did not buy it as such. It is however, in better nick and more original than some of the cars I looked at that were in the £10-13k range when I was looking, as that was my budget. For reference, I paid £8k for it 2 and a half years ago with just under 70k miles on the clock.
If you're handy and have time, for far less than £10k, this car could be truly impeccable. Or you can spend a few hundred pounds on some minor bits and regular maintenance, and enjoy it as is for years to come - I bought the car for my own driving pleasure, and it has delivered in absolute spades, and honestly has been better than I ever thought it would be. I'm under no illusion that this is some sort of "future investment to get rich quick" - it's an old car, it'll only be an investment in 20 years if you're lucky, so don't worry about that too much, just enjoy it knowing it won't lose much of its value.
So here's the interesting bit.
Given my situation of lack of parking for the car, I would like to move it on sooner rather than later. As such I will listen to offers, and I will consider swaps as a lower priority if no interest from a cash buyer. High weighting given to time - if you can pick it up tomorrow, feel free to make a lower offer.
Rules for swaps are as follows (and are firm):
- Either direct swap or cash my way only.
- Only pre-1970's cars, and preference to pre-60's cars.
- The ONLY exceptions to the above are electric cars with outright owned batteries (Leaf, MIEV, Peugeot Ion etc.), or something that is pre-1976 (tax exempt) but really something special/unique.
- Only cars in running order, which do not need major restoration, as I do not have the facilities at the moment.
- No large cars - I'm not sure what the exact dimensions limit is but we're talking <4.7m long, <1.9m wide, <1.7m tall.
- No motorbikes unless it's a Motocompo or some similar vintage moped, up to a max £1,000 value.
I will get better photos this week, but best seen in person.
Thanks for your time
Pavel
