1989 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit I

• Completed at the Crewe factory on 01/05/1989 in Windsor Blue as one of just 366 right-hand-drive cars
• A very late Spirit I with the chassis number confirming facelift features as seen on the Spirit II
• Purchased from Jack Barclay Ltd by the long-term owner on 23/12/1992
• The history file is among the finest we have seen with some 300 pages of maintenance records by Jack Barclay
• No expense has been spared in the car’s upkeep and records warrant the 21,200 miles (atoc)
• The original owner’s wallet and books are in pristine condition and the MOT is valid until July 2021

The Silver Spirit and its long-wheelbase counterpart, the Silver Spur, were announced in the autumn of 1980. Rolls-Royce's familiar and dependable 6,750cc V8 power unit remained unchanged, but significant improvements were made to the newcomers' self-levelling rear suspension and the styling too came in for some revision, with a lower waistline, increased glass area and a more modern angular look; rectangular headlights graced the front of a Rolls-Royce for the first time, and the oft-changed radiator became wider and squatter.

Inside, the Crewe firm's exemplary standards of equipment and finish were maintained, the most noticeable change being the adoption of separate rear seats and the reinstatement of folding picnic tables. Launched in the autumn of 1989, by which time fuel injection had been adopted for all markets, the Silver Spirit II looked virtually identical to its immediate predecessor. Costing over £119,000 new this very late Spirit I shared the same styling cues as the soon to be launched Spirit II, indeed various documents, including the V5C, list the car as a Spirit II such is the similarity with the later model. Finished in Windsor Blue with grey-blue leather piped dark blue and dark blue carpeting.

The original owner’s wallet and handbooks are in pristine condition and the service book shows the first services to have been carried out by the Rolls-Royce factory’s service department at Crewe. Subsequently purchased by a gentleman living in St. John’s Wood, North London directly from Jack Barclay Ltd. In 1992, the car returned to them for everything, from MOTs to regular maintenance and services until 2018. Rarely have we seen such paperwork from one main dealer, the Jack Barclay invoices amount to some 300 pages, and the diligent no-expense-spared maintenance was carried out regardless of the low annual mileage.

As is common with London cars there are a few parking dings to the doors together with touched-in paint chips, but to preserve the car’s originality they have remained. The interior and engine bay are naturally beautiful, in keeping with the car’s low mileage of some 21,200 miles at the time of cataloguing. Included with the aforementioned owner’s wallet and books is a very rare Rolls-Royce “sound system test” sample tape pack to show off the car’s sound system. The MOT is valid until 22nd July 2021 and this car is now ready for its next owner to gently waft along in supreme comfort in the whisper-quiet interior that still smells like a new car.