1988 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur
LET’S see… what happened in 1988?
There was Perestroika, Zebra muscles found their way into the Great Lakes, Ronald Reagan asked America to “Win another one for the Gipper,” the Supreme Court favored Hustler in Jerry Falwell’s defamation suit, Bon Jovi released an album called “New Jersey”, while Ice T unveiled “Power”, Dustin Hoffman took an Oscar for his performance in Rain Man, and a few talented men and women in Crewe, England handcrafted this sterling grey on black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur.
Originally yours had hoped to capture it by the light of the “golden hour” but a meeting ran late…
Still, in this twilight there’s much to appreciate – or ridicule – such is the divisive nature of a Royce as imperiously modernist as the Silver Spur. A product of its time, then.
God, how this design must have peeved the Rolls party faithful…
…initially, at least…
The Silver Spur marked a conservative step back from Pininfarina’s… let’s be just a little kind… avantgarde Camargue – a radically cubist Royce that tossed aside the round headlamps and flowing lines that had been the styling staple of Shadows and Clouds.
But to a contemporary eye, that coupe along with this sedan would now seem the very definition of arch-conservative, three-box design theory. A product of a bygone, ancien regime.
It is arcane. And even crude by some measures. But on the whole, the Silver Spur is incredibly elegant.
Paradoxical? Life’s best facets generally are…one way or another.
About the Author: Gunnar Heinrich is publisher of Automobiles De Luxe online and is executive producer of the Automobiles De Luxe Television series on PBS member station CPTV.
Jim | May 22, 2009 | Reply
The Silver Spur, definitely my least favorite RR. Its possible that the Spur was on Robert Cumberford’s mind when he sketched out a lux sedan on a pickup truck chassis for Automobile in the mid-90′s.
They are plentiful though, often found in dicier neighborhoods with the ever popular grill removal modification.
The intro of the Silver Seraph returned RR to being a Rolls.
Brad Starcevich | May 22, 2009 | Reply
The Silver Spur (Spirit, Dawn) is, as Gunnar states, a very elegant automobile over all. While not my favorite R-R by any measure, I have seen some absolutely gorgeous examples. Color and trim make or break this model. As evidence, take a look at Martin Davenport’s stunning 1997 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn (a rare “entry level” Silver Spur) in Peacock (blue).
http://www.richmondrolls.com/
I have seen these cars in black and other dark colors, and for my tastes, the darker colors just seem to work better. Perhaps they absorb some of the cars bulk. In any case, the Spirit, Spur, Dawn models are very solid, wonderful automobiles, and good ones are quite affordable. If I found a nice one in Peacock, priced right, I would have to exercise considerable restraint to keep from buying it
Thanks for the nice article and photographs, Gunnar. First class, as always.
Jan Hering | May 23, 2009 | Reply
Gunnar,
Very, very nice shots.
I´m impressed!!!
JAN
John Sweeney | May 23, 2009 | Reply
Gunnar,
Definitely some lovely shots!
I always thought the Silver Spirit ‘came of age’ after the series III redesign from 1993 onwards. The original Spirit looked good, but I felt it just used to be a tad bulky, a bit like the W210 S Class when it first came out. In both cases, however, and with the benfit of a subsequent (and miniscule) redesign which softened some of the sharper edges, the cars certainly improved with age. That’s just one opinion, however!
As always, thanks for such an enjoyable article.
Regards,
John.
Gunnar | May 23, 2009 | Reply
John, spot on take as usual. Series IV bumpers and mirrors made the look.
Jan, danke mein gut freund!
Brad, thank you for sharing (and the compliments). Your friend’s Silver Dawn really looks superb.
Jim, are you suggesting that the Camargue is better that the Silver Spur in your opinion?
Jim | May 23, 2009 | Reply
The Spur is spawn of the Camarague, approach both with garlic and crosses.
Ken | Jul 11, 2009 | Reply
The one failure of the Silver Spur series was the inclusion of the Everflex roof. Like many here I did not like the design change from the Shadow, which I believe to this day is still a beautiful car that shouts to the world “ROLLS-ROYCE”, however this car has grown on me over the years. There will never be another Rolls-Royce to compare with the Silver Cloud series, the ultimate expression of the art IMHO. I would not, as some seem to indicate here, throw a Spur to the curb as “unworthy”. It is still a Rolls-Royce and despite the boxy look (almost Oldsmobile-like) it still represents the ART of auto making at its finest. To Jim I pose this question: If you were given a Silver Spur would you still approach with garlic and crosses? Or would you, as I believe you would, celebrate that day as one of great fortune?
Ken
Ken | Jul 11, 2009 | Reply
They are plentiful though, often found in dicier neighborhoods with the ever popular grill removal modification.
This left me totally dumbfounded. What grill removal modification are you talking about? As a Rolls-Royce owner for more than 20 years and a long-time member of the RROC I have NEVER heard of anyone taking the grill off of a Royce. I’ve heard of people with Bentley’s converting them to Rolls by replacing the grill, but without the grill it’s just another car. And I won’t even comment on your assumption that you will find a Spur only in “dicier” neighborhoods. That statement is laughable. The cars can be had cheap, yes… but the maintenence will kill anyone not prepared to invest major dollars to keep the car up to speed. You may have purchased a 20-thousand dollar car, but you are maintaining a 250-thousand dollar car when you own a Rolls-Royce and the parts you need to keep it on the road are priced appropriately. I hardly think this would survive in the…as you call them…”dicier” neighborhoods for more than a month. I have owned Clouds, Shadow’s and yes, I currently own a Spur. It has been the most mechanically reliable of the lot but even it has cost tens of thousands to maintain over the past 4 years. You don’t buy these cars for reliability, you buy them because you love them. If I wanted something reliable I’d drive a Cadillac or a Subaru.
Ken | Jul 11, 2009 | Reply
One other thing… Reliable. My car has been very reliable because I keep it maintained. There has never been an FTP (failure to proceed) situation with my Spur. I keep it in top condition, but it is very demanding. It has been extremely reliable. I notice my earlier post may give the impression that is has not been reliable. It has been rock-solid because it gets every bit of maintenence that it needs, when it needs it.
flyff money | Aug 3, 2009 | Reply
Great article. Thanks for the great resource.
John Shostrom | Feb 5, 2010 | Reply
Interesting comments from all and sundry. I have always liked the SZ cars, and feel that the coachwork design did indeed benefit from some of the later, subtle modifications. That said, I don’t think the very later cars were as nice on the interiors. An example of this would be the addition of a centre console with integral armrest — I’ve always felt that individual folding armrests were far more comfortable. Also, I’ve preferred the cars without the Everflex roof coverings. I’ve owned and driven many SY (Shadow) and SZ (Spirit) series cars, and they all have their own unique attributes and personalities. The Camargue was certainly the best-handling RR I owned, and, like the SZ it is quite a colour-sensitive design.