1994 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit III

This Spirit has seemingly led a charmed existence. Supplied new on 28 December 1994 to Jack Barclay in London, it was subsequently sold to its first well-heeled owner – the chair of Watkiss Group Aviation – who took the car to Ireland, where it remained for a further four years. The car subsequently returned to the UK in 1998, where it was first registered on our shores. It’s one of what’s thought to be just 234 examples made by Rolls-Royce between 1994 and 1995 making it a fairly rare Rolls.

This Silver Spirit’s colour combination (Ming Blue over Magnolia hide) allows it to stand out from the crowd, plus its low ownership number (two to date) and excellent history of care from new – not to mention its highly-presentable condition – make it a Spirit that appears to be far above the average example. The only fault, reported by the vendor (who has owned the car since 2016), is that the passenger seat no longer slides back and forth on command, though its backrest apparently adjusts as expected.

The vendor is something of a Silver Spirit aficionado – having owned a second-generation Spirit prior to this series III. He reports that he took a lot of time searching for his ideal Spirit. This car’s condition and history were a big part of his decision to buy and he’s taken his role as custodian seriously ever since. He informs us that he’s kept the car in a heated and humidity-controlled environment throughout his eight-year ownership.

This care and attention can be seen in the car’s exterior condition, which seems excellent for a car that’s rapidly approaching its third decade on UK roads. Goodyear Eagle GA tyres adorn the 15-inch factory alloy wheels, which also appear to be in excellent order; mirrored by the clarity of the headlamp lenses.

Panels all seem to show uniform gaps, with no obvious signs of imperfections. The front end does show some very minor surface defects from stone chips, but none of these appear to have broken through to bare metal. The chrome on that trademark front grille still looks every bit as opulent as it should, with the rest of the trim not too far behind. The very pickiest out there might highlight some discoloration to the bumper trim, but this seems almost churlish to mention.

Even the best first impression left by a tidy exterior can be undone in an instant by a tatty cabin. It’s all the more important with a luxury car that its interior appointments pass muster; in this case we seem to be well beyond that... The cabin in this Rolls-Royce is a credit to Crewe’s craftsmen and women. There’s barely a mark anywhere to give away this car’s considerable age. The Magnolia hide and Royal Blue piping still look clean and highly presentable, as does the opulent headlining and deep pile carpets. What’s all the more impressive is that this cabin still looks this good despite its lighter shade. 

Creature comforts are, of course, considerable with cruise control, air conditioning, heated and electrically adjustable front seats with four-position memory, electric windows, rear footrests and a radio cassette player all found here; the latter hooked up to an Alpine six-disc CD autochanger in the boot. The vendor reports that everything still works aside from the aforementioned passenger seat.

The obsessive among you might have noticed the very minor wear to the audio controls on the stereo (FF and RW), but beyond this, it’s hard to find fault with this Spirit’s cabin. The boot appears to be just as good with its full carpeting still looking sharp. Aside from the aforementioned Alpine audio kit, there’s also a full RR tool kit, bulb set and warning triangle (plus jack) in here too.

The vendor has mentioned that the car has wanted for nothing during his near decade of ownership and that, apparently, is reflected in the way this Rolls gets down the road. There were no mechanical issues reported by the vendor and he went on to list the following improvements during his ownership; “It’s had whatever it needed, including a suspension rebuild, new brake accumulator spheres, new rear gas springs, new radiator, new alarm system, new central locking, new rear tyres, and so on...”

The plastics in the engine bay preclude us from delving too deeply under here, but they look clean and tidy and we couldn’t see any puddles forming under the car during our photoshoot.

There’s a decent number of stamps in the car’s accompanying Rolls-Royce service book, itself still ensconced within the original binders. There’s a number of old tax discs too. We can also see the original ‘vehicle identification’ sheet, listing the car’s unusual colour combo, VIN and engine numbers. Additionally, the vendor reports that those stamps in the service book show main-dealer servicing from new until he took over ownership in 2016.

Independent Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist Ranmore (formerly Royce Service and Engineering) has brought the upkeep more up to date. A large bill for servicing and coolant work from the titular firm was recorded in June 2022. A not inconsiderable £2893.40 was spent on a replacement radiator and coolant flush, plus a replacement power steering cooler.

Slightly further back (April 2018), we see another invoice from Ranmore for £6209.21 that details work to replace the rear metal hydraulic lines for the suspension and braking systems, as well as a manufacturer recommended service II.

The vendor wants to point out that he’s only selling the car due to; “lack of use and because I am reducing my car collection for age reasons.” Clearly a marque devotee, he spent plenty of time searching out this example to ensure it was as desirable in spec and colour scheme as it is was in condition. 

That effort, and his subsequent care, certainly doesn’t appear to have been wasted, with the car still presenting very well. The next owner can only benefit from all his efforts, as they’ll be able to bag what appears to be one of the best examples of this rarer Rolls we’ve seen of late.

Our estimate for this car is £13,000 - £17,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in Dorking, Surrey. 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’.