Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Spur/Sprit advice

( snipped-for-privacy@defencecontracts.org.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Somehow, I can't imagine many people losing much sleep over whether to buy a sub £10k Shadow/Spirit or a £260k Phantom.

If you _must_ have a Spirit, at least get a Turbo R.

Probably because the Shadow is a reasonably elegant car while the Spur downright ugly?

Dunno. Might be the problem with getting spare body parts - they were largely hand made.

The Shadow accelerates well enough to moderate speeds, but don't expect it to fly over about 80.

A well maintained one can be reliable, yes. But don't expect BMW prices for spares.

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) realised it was Mon, 11 Dec 2006

Just the purchase cost? The fuel bills wouldn't bother you then?

What he said.

I'd love a Turbo R, but even at current values, I'd struggle to justify the purchase cost.

Nah, because it would only be a toy. The purists may hang me for it, but I'd also seriously consider an LPG conversion.

They're a British, mass produced, car of the 1970s.

And pushing 30.

Do you REALLY think they're going to be reliable?

If you really must - and I suppose from a BMW, a Rolls Royce is about the only way the nouveau-riché can go - then the pick of the bunch for reliability, image (though, I'm afraid no-one will know you're loaded instantly as they would with the Spirit of Ecstacy atop your grille) is the Bentley Eight - a "sportier" Mulsanne which was actually a little more basic, with a mesh grille, and aimed at the 40-something market.

It is, I'm afraid, a Bentley and not a Rolls Royce (really, one feels Shadow/Spirit etc models are worthy of the title "Roller") - but it is often overlooked, and good value for the sort of car you're looking at.

If you want British ambience, I think the later (mid 90s) Jaguar XJs offer better VFM.

Richard

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) realised it was Mon, 11 Dec 2006

LPG eh? Very sensible.

If anyone is even considering buying a Turbo R then *never* buy a carb one, EFi is the only way to have one.

I've been in quite a few early to mid 90's Turbo Rs lately as a friend of mine is paying me to find him a nice one. There aren't that many nice ones out there for under £15k. There are a lot of dogs out there for £10-15k.

So far I've only actually found one that was worth buying, a 95"N" Turbo R with re-calibrated active ride. 70k miles, FBSH, owned by old titled gent from Cheshire, which I could have got for £16500. To make it immaculate would have cost around £850, and re-calibrating the suspension would have cost another £250ish provided there were no dodgy spheres or sensors.. That would have retailed at around £22500 with the work done, so beware of cheap Bentleys.

Mustard Mitt though, a decent Turbo R is bloody quick and handles remarkably well.

Rolls-Royce mass produced?

Yes. Well, they are not the same as other cars, they are not built down to a price. They should have been made to a lot higher standard than anything else.

LOL, do you know me?

Well, I was thinking the Rolls would be more suitable for everyday, as the Bentley's engine has been tinkered with and tuned, and therefore more prone to brake. More to go wrong. Especially, the turbocharged versions.

Plus, I'm 30 something and the Bentley is not the same image I want. And I don't like the mesh grille.

And old Jag? I don't want to look like cockney gangster or an aging managing director of a small company, the old school business man, die in the wool Tory, smokes cigars and keeps a bottle of Scotch in his desk draw, like Mike Baldwin from Coronation Street. Not the image I want.

Silver Shadow may have well has been, they're considerably more plentiful than Austin 3-litres ;), the bodies were produced by Pressed Steel...

Should have.

They were trimmed to a higher standard. But the electrical components are much the same as anything else of the era. The Shadow II is what it is, and that's WHY they're £5K (or less) these days.

It's an iron V8. And the Eight isn't turbocharged.

I'm 30 something and if you gave me a Shadow/Spirit free, I'd rapidly find someone to trade it with for something less obnoxious, like a gold-plated Hummer or something. (I am serious; if I was given a Rolls Royce of the 70s/80s free, unless it was a Corniche or Carmargue, I'd offer it as a swap for the best Citroen CX or even XM I could find).

Then why on earth to do want the rusty, tired relic all of these sterotypes aspire to; ideally in white so they can make a bit of cash on the side running it as a wedding car? ;)

This is all slightly tongue in cheek, of course - all cars have their merits - but I can't see running a Spirit/Shadow being a good move. Especially at lower end of the budget.

Richard

side running it > as a wedding car? ;)

Ahhhhh no not in white. Never.

Well, I would keep my BMW as well. But I want to use the Roller most days, I don't see the point of having something and keeping it in the garage.

All the 'standard' cars have been since WW2.

The wire may be the same, but pretty well all the switches etc are bespoke. Remember Lucas made aerospace stuff as well as s**te.

Eh? It's an all ally unit.

Which is, oddly enough, about the same time Rolls Royces ceased to be interesting to me.

And aerospace stuff is checked out more frequently. You know that Shadow IIs are as rot prone and potentially unreliable as any 1970s British luxury car...

It's an iron V8. And the Eight isn't turbocharged.

Rolls Royce V8? I thought it was iron, but it's alloy, with cast iron wet liners. Learn something new every day.

Richard

Maybe, but a pre-war one isn't going to be terribly suitable for daily use these days.

My favourite Rolls is the Cloud - an elegant design and timeless. I had an S1 Bentley for many years and wish I still had it.

Or any other comparable car of that era? And especially the Jag you recommended. They rusted for England. We're talking near 40 years old. But with the electrics they can be fixed. No surface mount throw it away stuff.

It's very similar in layout to the Rover V-8. I wouldn't be surprised if the same engineers were involved with both units at one time.

Dave Plowman (News) ( snipped-for-privacy@davenoise.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Unlikely - IIRC the Royce v8 was British designed and loosely based on a Chrysler lump, whilst the Rover unit was of course bought in from GM.

Ah - I thought it was based on a GM design. Rolls had tie ups with them through their auto boxes.

It was based on the Buick design but not identical and certainly not bought in from them - it was made in the UK using different casting processes.

I wouldn't. The plasma cutter and I have a hankering to make a pickup... 8-)

I've already had an XM. Wouldn't mind a CX (or an SM!) though. At least their hydraulics are more reliable than my limited exposure to Shadows!

"Andy Dingley " realised it was 15 Dec 2006 12:09:59 -0800 and decided it was time to write:

Ah, sir has taste...

Cousin Jim-Bob done got hi'self some class!