1981 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur Saloon

Description

Rolls introduced the Silver Spirit, and its long-wheelbased equivalent, the Silver Spur, in 1980. Inspired by their own Carmargue coupe, which was designed by Pininfarina, this new model line was destined to bring Rolls-Royce into the eighties and replace the obsolete Silver Shadow/Wraith line, which had been in production since 1965. Though the body styling was new, the Spirit/Spur shared the basic floorpan of their predecessors, and carried over the venerable 6.75 litre V8 engine. They also maintained exemplary ride quality with a Girling developed hydraulic height control system adopted from the Carmague and Cornish convertible.The Spirit/Spur line was also the first to feature retractable versions of the Spirit of Ecstasy, the statuesque figure which sat proud atop many a Rolls-Royce's grille. A full four inches longer in the wheelbase than the Spirit, the Silver Spur was seen as even more opulent and can be identified by its extended rear window-frames and Everflex material roof. This model line continued through four series until 1998, when it was replaced by the BMW-engined Silver Seraph.