What IS special. Part II: Rolls-Royce's Silver Spirit

The folks at Car & Driver can be forgiven if their memories lapse or if they write conflicting views de temps en temps. After all, with thousands of reviews under the belts of the senior staff, how could anyone reasonably expect them to remember every detail of every car?

They could start by looking up their old reviews.

Continuing from Part I, I have read and found some fault with Car & Driver senior editor Csaba Csere’s latest article, “Bentley Continental Flying Spur: It’s all about being special.” Mr. Csere, as I have mentioned, is highly regarded among the automotive media and rightly so.

Yet, the editor began his most recent review on the wrong foot. Mr. Csere placed great emphasis on the Bentley’s performance numbers without actually commenting on the substance of the vehicle – which I have argued is lacking by Bentley’s former standards. Mr. Csere then went on to slam the Bentleys and Rolls-Royces of the past.

“Twenty years ago most of the limited production, big money nameplates – Aston Martin, Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, Rolls-Royce – were stand alone, distinct companies. They were terribly special. And for the most part, they were also simply terrible. A mid-‘80s Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit could best be described as a really bad Lincoln Town Car with great paint and gorgeous upholstery.”

Now, I am certain that there are enough Car & Driver readers out there who would be prepared to dispute Mr. Csere, point by point in a loyal and impassioned defense of their Lamborghini Countachs and Maserati Bi-Turbos (truthfully, both cars were so much fun to drive when they worked).

However, Mr. Csere, along with his associates wrote positively about a 1989 Bentley Turbo R – a car that was not all that dissimilar from the mid-80s Silver Spirit to which he refers in his latest article. The 1991 comparison test, “Finding the Best Sedan in the World: When price is no object, only excellence counts,” Mr. Csere is pictured posing next to the driver’s door of jet black Bentley Turbo R—beaming.

The Car & Driver test placed the Bentley last, behind the forgettable early version of the Lexus LS400, the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, and the triumphant BMW 750iL, respectively. The report praised the Bentley for its power, its handling, and the fact that it had the shortest braking distance, and the smoothest transmission.

Personal Counterpoint~

I have driven a 1988 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur. The Silver Spur was essentially the long wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit. I have also ridden in, but not driven an example of a mid-80s Lincoln Town Car. I can tell you, dear reader, that in no way was that period Town Car remotely close to besting the Rolls on any level.

The Silver Spur, like the Silver Spirit, was an understated, elegant, 1980s interpretation of what Rolls-Royce should be. The formula carried the company through the 1990s as the Spirits and Spurs were indeed popular. To me, the Silver Spur had the feel of an antique classic while boasting the very latest technology of the 1980s. The technology was hidden mostly – which was a good thing.

The Silver Spur wallowed and swayed like an old Town Car did – though it had none of the rear-end Jell-O in the ride that has been the Bain of rear wheel drive American sedans for decades. The Rolls was solid in everything that it did (except for that flimsy shifter and the wait-for-the-hydraulic-pressure-brakes before you start driving and find there is no stopping the 2 ½ ton car). The Silver Spur was the ultimate combination of civility with hidden technology and iron clad construction that made it such a splendid and refined automobile.

To compare a Silver Spur with the déclassé 80s Town Car is disingenuous at best. After all, would Mr. Csere have smiled so broadly standing next to a Lincoln in 1991?