1986 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit

This ‘Georgian Silver’ Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit was delivered new to a Cardiff dealership in February 1986 and registered with the DVLA on 5.2.86.

Today, it is showing 105,639 miles on its odometer. 

The car can run on petrol or LPG and has a switchable LPG system from OMVL and a 70-litre LPG tank situated within the spare wheel carrier. 

The spare air intake elbow included with the car means that the task of restoring the car to petrol-only functionality would be simple and inexpensive. 

The car received a used, replacement engine when it had covered 98,000 miles. The replacement engine had covered 49,000 miles at the time and, therefore, the engine in situ currently has some 57,000 miles under its belt. 

The vendor thinks that, in LPG mode, the car offers a slightly smoother driving experience and is, of course, rather more economical. 

He has very recently replaced the engine oil and the air, petrol and oil filters, along with fitting a set of NGK Iridium BPR5EIX spark plugs (there is also a spare box of four of these plugs with the car).

Mechanically the car is in very good order and starts, runs, drives, accelerates, handles and stops as you would hope and expect. 

There are some cosmetic issues to contend with. 

The bodywork on this majestic vehicle is reassuringly free of any dinks, dents, creases, ripples or folds of consequence that we can see, and the panel gaps and shut-lines are consistent and even.

The chrome has held up well and is in shiny, healthy order.

The wheels are pretty decent but could do with a really good clean and are not without the odd scratch and scuff here and there.

The tyres look to have a reasonable amount of life left in them.

But there are a few things that belong in the negative column.

The paintwork above the swage line on the offside has gone very flat and dull.

There is some micro-blistering on the roof.

We found bubbling around the n/s/r wheel arch, at the base of the o/s/f wheel arch and in the front valance ahead of it, and in the o/s/r wheel arch.

There are some scratches and stone chips on the boot lid, on the bonnet, on the n/s/f wing, and around the front grille. 

The cars lights, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings all seem to be in decent fettle.

Again, aside from one or two issues, the interior is really pretty good, both for the car’s mileage and its age.

The ‘Slate’ grey leather, piped red, has done well and only the outer bolster on the driver’s seat back rest is showing any signs of wear or use. We suspect some efficacious cleaning and feeding products might aid its rehabilitation no end.

The seats, front and back, are as sumptuously comfortable, cossetting and supportive as you would hope to find in a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit.

The door cards are keeping up the good work, as is the headlining.

The carpets and mats are in decent nick.

Only the wood veneers are threatening to let the side down a little. The lacquer is cracked, lifting or tarnished in several places on the dashboard, door cappings and rear passenger mirror surrounds, and will need some attention sooner rather than later. 

The steering wheel, gear selector and other controls look good. 

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch, but those we did tweak, press and flick did as they were told without any unseemly shows of recalcitrance or attitude. 

The boot is in similarly impressive nick and contains a spare wheel with a good, unused tyre. You’ll also fine several spare parts in boxes, including, but not limited to, two new rear suspension spheres, two new front spheres (all new from Introcar), and some new brake pads (also Introcar).

 

The engine bay is clean, dry, and tidy. 

Everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

And as mentioned earlier, our conscientious vendor has certainly not skimped on making sure the car performs well and drives beautifully, so in recent times he has replaced; 

• The steering rack. 
• The front shock absorbers
• The water pump and radiator
• The viscous coupling 
• The AC compressor and refrigerant gas 
• All drive belts 

That's a lot of expenditure the new owner stands to benefit from!

The car’s undersides look to be possessed of plenty of structural integrity although there are a few spots of rust in the sills, though the wheel arches are new.   

You’ll probably want to see the car for yourself to reach your own conclusion.

A great deal of time and money has gone this car’s way over the years, not least courtesy of the current vendor, who has owned the car since 2015.

It has a fully stamped service book up to 2015, with the stamps coming from main dealers and specialists.

Since then, the car has been maintained, serviced and repaired by specialists including, among others, Hillier Hill, N. Sandell and Chris Lee.

It has been serviced, maintained, repaired, fettled as tuned as appropriate, whenever necessary, regardless of cost.

It comes with a full set of handbooks and manuals, a V5C, two sets of keys, and a wad of bills, invoices and receipts.

The MoT expires on 21st May 2025.  

Any mechanical heavy lifting has already been done on this car, which today drives very well indeed and feels properly sorted in every respect.

Yes, it needs some work to get it looking as good as it drives, but we’re of the opinion that the underlying quality of the car should make the time and effort involved well worthwhile.

We’re confident to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate of £8,000 - £10,000. 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.