Top Ten Trivia
The SZ-generation of Rolls-Royce and Bentley saloons was launched 40 years ago, replacing the long-running Silver Shadow and providing us with a fascinating array of facts and figures all these years later.
Going large with the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit and its Bentley cousins.
Although serious discussions about a replacement for the Rolls- Royce Silver Shadow began as early as 1972, it wasn’t until eight years later that the eagerly-awaited Silver Spirit finally took a bow – and along with it, its Bentley Mulsanne cousin. The Silver Shadow had remained in production for an impressive 15 years and had become the highly respected elder statesman of the ultraluxury car market. Remarkably, however, the Silver Spirit-based family was to enjoy an even longer career, with its eventual successor – the Silver Seraph – not arriving until 1998.
An 18-year run is impressive in itself, made all the more remarkable by the Silver Spirit employing essentially the same platform as its long-lived predecessor. Rolls- Royce hadn’t designed an all-new car since the Phantom III of 1935, and they couldn’t afford to do so for the Shadow’s replacement. Management required the new car to look fresh and modern yet retain as much of the Silver Shadow’s engineering as possible, which is why the Silver Spirit had broadly similar proportions. The entire drivetrain and running gear was carried over, albeit featuring various refinements – RollsRoyce’s long-serving L-series V8 engine was to feature in familiar 6.75-litre guise (this itself dated back to the 1959 Silver Cloud) driving through the familiar GM Hydramatic three-speed auto, while a modified version of the Silver Shadow II’s suspension set-up was also employed.
Bodyshells for the new models were produced by Cowley-based Pressed Steel, a subsidiary of BL. It continued the relationship between RollsRoyce and Pressed Steel that had first begun in 1946 when the Bentley MkVI ‘Standard Steel’ saloon arrived, the company’s first model to be available as a complete car (rather than a rolling chassis) direct from the factory. The updated R-Type version of 1952 and all-new Bentley S-series and Rolls- Royce Silver Cloud of 1955- 65 also featured
bodywork by Pressed Steel, as did the subsequent Silver Shadow – a model that marked a major turning point thanks to its monocoque bodyshell.
The Rolls- Royce Silver Spirit and Bentley Mulsanne met with a favourable reaction when they took a bow in late 1980, with the former going on to achieve healthy sales from day one. By comparison, the Mulsanne attracted relatively few buyers (much like its T2 predecessor), although a rejuvenation of the Bentley marque was only just around the corner.
Although initial reaction to the Silver Spirit was positive, American exports were delayed until 1981 to allow more time for costly certification work. This involved fitting the V8 with fuel injection as well as a catalytic converter and exhaust gas recirculation in order to satisfy the stringent emissions regulations in the USA. The first engines ran a 7.3:1 compression ratio, meaning a 15% drop in power with the Federal-spec Silver Spirit topping out at a rather feeble 105mph. US cars also got four rectangular headlamps to satisfy the legislation there, and springs behind the bumpers for impact absorption. Fuel-injection became standard on European and UK models in 1987.
An updated Silver Spirit II of 1989 featured Bosch engine management and adaptive Automatic Ride Control damping. A new four-speed automatic gearbox with lock-up clutch on the overdrive top gear arrived in 1992, while the following year came the Silver Spirit III – complete with redesigned cylinder heads, a new induction system, and revised anti-roll bars for sharper handling. The Flying Spur announced in 1994 featured the turbo engine from the Bentley models, while in ’95 the whole range received Zytek fuelinjection and a charge- cooler for turbo models.
Known as the SZ- generation, the Silver Spirit-based family proved to be one of Crewe’s best-sellers, and on today’s modern- classic scene continues to attract plenty of interest. If you’re seeking the ultimate in (relatively) affordable luxury, it makes a lot of sense, but just how much do you know about this highly successful line-up?
1
When styling the Silver Spirit, the team led by Austrianborn engineer Fritz Feller had to ensure the newcomer wasn’t too radical, whilst at the same time creating something distinct from the Silver Shadow – a car that by the late 1970s was starting to look rather oldfashioned, as well as being deemed too small for the US market when up against the latest from Cadillac. The easy solution would have been to create a significantly larger car, but this was impossible given the financial requirement to use SY- generation (Silver Shadow) underpinnings. Fashionable wedge styling was tried, but difficulties with this included retaining a radiator grille with the required domination in such a shallow nose, and the fact that because the long body had to rise quickly to go over hard points such as the Shadow’s engine and bulkhead, the wedge shape ended up with a massive back end. And besides, it would have been impossible to stretch a wedge shape to give a LWB limo...
2
Since the Silver Spirit and Mulsanne of 1980 employed a revised version of the Silver Shadow’s floorpan and running gear, they therefore relied on clever detailing and styling tricks to achieve the illusion of appearing far larger, when in reality they were only marginally longer and wider than the outgoing model. Part of the process included enlarging the glass area by around 30%, lowering the waist line and using less decorative trim, together with more angular lines, a flatter bonnet and a more horizontal design to the front and rear lights.
3
During the design stage, Chief Engineer John Holling had wanted a full digital display on the new Spirit to help bring the car bang up to date. In his book Inside the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Styling Department, (which incidentally we heartily recommend,) Graham Hull says that Chief Stylist Fritz Feller was not keen on this and drew a sketch of Big Ben with a digital face to make his point. The new car did end up with a digital display as a nod to modernity, but only a small unit in the centre of the dash to display outside temperature, a clock and elapsed time.
4
The previous Silver Shadow II’s suspension was improved for the Silver Spirit. The angle of the rear trailing arm pivots was altered to allow a greater degree of camber change as the wheel moved up and down and so helping to reduce body roll
and provide a flatter ride, while the rear track was also widened by three inches. The selflevelling system was effectively the same as the Silver Shadow II’s, using the dampers as a height control mechanism (with a valve controlling the flow of fluid from the car’s highpressure hydraulic system), thus removing the need for separate height control rams.
5
The Silver Spirit was revealed to the press in Nice in 1980, before being officially launched at that year’s British International Motor Show, which took place in the October. The show opened just a few days after the announcement that Rolls- Royce Motors had been acquired by engineering and defence giant Vickers. Following the collapse and government rescue of RollsRoyce in 1971, the car division had subsequently been hived off and run as an independent company up until the launch of the Silver Spirit. Vickers remained in control until 1998, when Rolls- Royce ownership passed into German hands.
6
The standard Bentley Mulsanne was joined by the Mulsanne Turbo in 1982. With an AiResearch T04 turbo blowing at 7psi through a Solex 4A1 four- choke carburettor, it brought blistering performance (by Rolls- Royce and Bentley standards) to the range and a top speed electronically limited to 135mph, but less than perfect handling. This, however, led to the launch of the hugely impressive Turbo R, where the R stood for Roadholding. It featured beefed-up suspension to reduce body roll and ensure dramatically improved cornering. The Turbo R also introduced a bright red option to the paint palette; this was Vermilion, though it was accidentally spelled Vermillion initially in what was perhaps a Freudian slip. There was also a Bentley Eight launched in the middle of 1984, essentially a cheaper version of the Mulsanne. If you specified cloth instead of leather, the price of this entry level model even dropped below £50k, but only just – it was priced at £49,497.
7
A LWB option called the Silver Spur or Mulsanne L had four extra inches of rear seat legroom and a vinyl roof, but Robert Jankel modified a car to create a true stretch limo. RR decided to bring this in-house and worked with Jankel to create the Mulliner Park Ward Touring Limousine with 24in added to the wheelbase, plus two inches to the roof height to stop it (in Graham Hull’s words) looking like a stretched toffee.
8
To try and force manufacturers to focus on fuel economy, the US government introduced Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets after the Arab oil embargo of 197374. This imposed financial penalties (the so- called gas guzzler tax) on manufacturers whose model range did not meet certain average MPG figures. In 1980, that target was 20 miles per US gallon. With no small car offering to offset the Spirit’s dismal 14mpg figure (down to 12mpg in California thanks to the additional smog equipment), RR had no option but to accept the financial penalty. However, at US$650 on a list price north of £100,000, it is fair to say that few buyers were unduly inconvenienced.
9
Thanks to the success of the Turbo R, the previously moribund Bentley brand went from strength to strength. From 1977 to 1980, just 58 examples of the Silver Shadowderived Bentley T2 had been sold worldwide, leading to speculation that the Bentley name would be phased out. In 1987, however, Bentley’s annual sales actually overtook those of Rolls- Royce for the first time since the 1950s.
10
The SZ’s underpinnings were also used as the base for the 1991- on Continental R coupé – the first bespoke Bentley model since the 1950s, and the most expensive production car of its day. It was joined in 1995 by a convertible version going by the name of Azure. Both of these remained in production until 2003, a remarkable extension to the career of an already longlived automotive platform.