Tag Archives: rolls-royce

DRIVEN IN 2008 – Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

Looking back at my review of the first Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe to land in Australia. I was the first motoring journalist to review this car in Australia.

A sporting Rolls-Royce? Well the famous British marque is not the one you first think of when the idea of a sporting model comes to mind, especially if it has anything to do with the stately, if gargantuan Phantom.

But Rolls-Royce has been full of surprises since BMW took on the job of creating a new range for their prestige line.

When the Phantom was launched in 2003 it shocked people with its avant garde take on the traditional Rolls-Royce look. But the new style has been a runaway success in Rolls-Royce terms, with 1010 being built last year alone.

Then last year, the 2-door convertible Drophead Coupe was launched, and has been lapped up by buyers around the globe. It retained many of the unusual Phantom features, such as the rear-hinged doors and has items such as a polished teak rear deck and brushed stainless steel bonnet as options.

So now the company has launched the Phantom Coupe. While it shares many components with its siblings, the Coupe is not simply a Drophead with a tin top in place. Rolls-Royce has cleverly taken the opportunity to make it quite a different car, aimed at ensnaring a different clientele – though they understand that many will be sold to existing RR owners.

The front of the car is the same as the Drophead, which gives the car the look of being the number one choice of Darth Vader. Of course the roof is unique to the Coupe, but so too is the rear deck, back bumper and there’s a myriad of other detail differences.

The boot is unusual in having a drop-down section, capable of taking the weight of two people sitting on it – just the ticket for watching the races. The boot is a lot bigger than the Drophead’s and so is the fuel tank.

But the big difference that Rolls-Royce has made to the Coupe is the driving experience. Their people insist that the car is the most “driver focussed” Rolls-Royce of all time.

To achieve this, they’ve kept the body strengthening that was necessary for the roofless Drophead, which provides the Coupe with a very stiff structure. The handling characteristics have been further beefed-up with stiffer springs and thicker anti-roll bars.

The transmission has been tweaked to give later change-up points and quicker downshifts. More positive higher-geared steering, with a thicker, smaller diameter steering wheel are also included in the make-over.

So how do all the changes add up? Having the chance to drive the Coupe immediately after driving a 4-door Phantom immediately showed the differences are quite noticeable. While the bigger car needs a level of concentration and careful driver input to be able to waft around as it should, the Coupe is instantly easier to drive.

Somehow it is much more like a ‘normal’ big car to drive. There’s plenty of power (and importantly, torque) from the big V12 under the bonnet for when you want to hustle the Coupe along, with creamy smooth and seemingly limitless acceleration on tap. And the car is quite agile, given its bulk. Pretty soon a driver can confidently push the car around.

It’s not a sports car, and nobody should pretend it is, however the Coupe can certainly hold its head high and wouldn’t have trouble keeping up with most large performance cars.

Older Rolls-Royces are completely unsporting in their driving characteristics, but with the Coupe the engineers have managed to successfully change the personality of the car.

The luxury is of course part of the appeal of a Rolls-Royce. From the moment you open the rear-hinged door (with umbrella in it’s home in the door cavity), and slip easily into the sumptuous seat, reach out and tap the button which draws the door closed for you, you can tell just sitting in the car will be a special experience.

The supreme quality of the fittings and finish spell out that this is indeed the best made car in the world. Perfectly polished woodwork, supple leather, exacting fit and incredible attention to detail are hallmarks of this car. The silently multi-adjustable interior is very hard to criticise.

Our test car was fitted with the dubious option of the Starlight roof-lining – consisting of 1600 fibre-optic lights which emulate a start lit night – adjustable for brightness, of course. Maybe with Chinese or the Middle Eastern buyers in mind…

A little bit of BMW creeps in with the operation of the driver’s controls – the gearshift, I-drive controller and indicator operations – but not the actual buttons and levers.

When you’re ready to order your Phantom Coupe, there’s plenty to consider. Rolls-Royce proudly offers almost unlimited options, for example 44,000 exterior colours are available… “All manner of other technical, structural or aesthetic detailing is possible, to meet the precise requirements of customers”, states the company.

Article by Paul Blank – 2008

1985 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit – $24,900

Leave a reply

The Silver Spirit model brought Rolls-Royce into the 1980s with its smooth 6750cc V8 engine, a very high level of engineering and Rolls-Royce’s famous build quality.

Luxury and comfort were the hallmarks of these cars. Beautifully finished, the interiors had lovely polished woodwork, comfortable, electrically-adjustable leather seats and plush carpet. The climate control system could be controlled by zone. Of course there were power windows, central locking, rear make-up mirrors and other comfort features.

This car was delivered new in Adelaide, finished in metallic Cotswald Beige. It moved to Melbourne and later the Gold Coast. The car can be traced by details in its service booklet – stamped through to when it moved to Perth.

Sadly about a year and a half ago the owner passed away. His family held on to the car, but it was not being used, so the decision has been made to sell. In preparation for sale quite a bit of work has been done on the car.

The car drives particularly well and exhibits notably good acceleration and smooth gearchanges. It starts immediately from cold.

A few items could be attended to, such as the air conditioning not working and some of the chromework on the car has deteriorated which would benefit from being refinished.

Inside the car presents very well, with good leather and hardware. The woodwork is in fine shape.

This Silver Spirit is not a car show queen, but a decent, Australian-delivered car with fine driving characteristics. Its realistic price takes into account some work a new owner may wish to do.

Please request an email with full description and more photos from paul@classicrally.com.au

Paul Blank Classic Car Broker MD28143

1GGN242. Whilst every effort to ensure accuracy is made when preparing the description of a car, much of the information is provided by the owner and cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and complete.

Some errors and omissions occur occasionally and we cannot be held liable for any loss or damage arising from incorrect or incomplete information or any reliance which might be placed on information provided.

Any potential purchaser is advised to make his or her own independent investigations or inspections to determine title and whether a vehicle is suitable for purchase.

FOR SALE: 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – $67,500

Leave a reply

Perth delivered
Money-no-object restoration
2025 Concours class winner
You won’t find better

This year the Silver Shadow series celebrates its 60^th anniversary and interest in these early chrome bumper versions is growing. This example is the best you’ll find.

In 1974 when this car was delivered new in Perth by Winterbottom Motors, it cost a hefty $42,500, when a new Jaguar XJ6 was $11,000.

Fast forward to the early 2000s after the original owner had passed away in 1996 and the car then belonged to a high flying Western Australian lawyer. It was in excellent condition still. The owner decided he wanted the best possible example of Silver Shadow. He sent the car to Bentley Sydney for a major restoration to be undertaken. This was a money-no-object exercise. The work took a year and a half and was completed in December 2003. A list of the extensive work done is with the car.

Some $80,000 was spent (in 2003), which may have been hard to justify on an already excellent car – but it turned out the owner was spending money which wasn’t his! Ultimately the Rolls-Royce was put on the market along with several other seized cars. The next owner saw the car advertised and went to have a look. Upon seeing the car it was immediately evident that it was an outstandingly good example in every respect, so he bought it.

In the ensuing eighteen years of his ownership, he estimated he had driven the car less than 10,000km. It has led a pampered life. That owner advised the only major work he’s had to do was to the air conditioning system – otherwise it had been regular maintenance and servicing required. In December 2021 the car was given a major service and the opportunity was taken to rectify anything else which could be found on the car, getting everything up to the best standard. Four new white-sidewall tyres were fitted. Some $11,000 was spent. This was in preparation for selling the car – a sale which I handled.

The original handbook remains with the car and the service booklet shows consistent servicing. Today the odometer shows close to 40,000km, which is 140,000km. The car still wears its original Perth numberplates XHX 444.

For the new owner work was undertaken by a specialist workshop to bring any identifiable issue up to spec. A total of just over $14,500 was spent.

In May 2025 the car was entered for judging in the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club Concours, where won its class. In the biggest class, this win is testament to the quality of the car’s restoration.

It’s very hard on inspection to find anything to criticise, inside, outside, in the engine bay and boot. The car is an absolute joy to drive and is tight and rattle free. The engine runs smoothly and offers ample performance.

This is a Silver Shadow which just needs to be enjoyed. For a buyer looking for a superior condition example of this classic Rolls-Royce, you need look no further. This car will impress on first inspection and for years to come.

Please request an email with more details and photos, from paul@classicrally.com.au

Whilst every effort to ensure accuracy is made when preparing the description of a car, much of the information is provided by the owner and cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and complete. Some errors and omissions occur occasionally and we cannot be held liable for any loss or damage arising from incorrect or incomplete information or any reliance which might be placed on information provided. Any potential purchaser is advised to make his or her own independent investigations or inspections to determine title and whether a vehicle is suitable for purchase. MD28143

1988 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur – $32,500

Leave a reply

The SZ series brought Rolls-Royce into the 1980s with a modern and improved design which proved very successful. The Silver Spur is the desirable long wheelbase version of the much admired SZ range.

This car is finished in a very attractive metallic Cotswold Beige finish with brown Everflex roof. Inside, a light beige colour scheme for the trim and carpets are offset by beautiful polished burl walnut, in excellent condition. The rear passenger compartment boasts folding occasional tables in the same burl walnut, a feature of the long wheelbase cars.

This car shows just under 42,000km on its odometer, and from looking through the car, it’s not hard to see it’s a car which has had little use. The UK-delivered car came to Perth from Melbourne in 2009 and has seen minimal use, but regular servicing. Most recent servicing was completed in January 2025.

Aside from a couple of very minor marks in the paintwork the car presents well inside and out. The original books including handbook are in the compendium, with a later service booklet, partially stamped.

The car starts immediately from cold and drives as smoothly as a Silver Spur should – giving great driving pleasure.

The SZ series cars offer exceptional value for money these days. this will make an excellent addition to a collection or be a fine weekend car in addition to your everyday transport. The SRJ numberplates are to be retained by the owner and standard plates will be fitted.

Please request an email with a detailed description and more photos.