Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, Silver Spur and Bentley Mulsanne, Eight and Turbo R (1980 to 1998)

Launched in 1980, the SZ family was effectively a reskinned and refined Silver Shadow. Rolls-Royce Motors, newly independent and short of money, kept the Shadow's floorpan, V8 and Citroën-licensed high-pressure hydraulics, and added a crisper, lower and wider body, plus the semi-trailing-arm rear suspension from the two-door Shadow derivatives. The Silver Spirit was the standard saloon and the Silver Spur its long-wheelbase sister, with four extra inches in the rear.

The Bentley versions turned out to matter most. The Mulsanne, named after the Le Mans straight, arrived alongside the Spirit; the Mulsanne Turbo followed in the early 1980s; and the 1985 Turbo R, with much firmer suspension, transformed Bentley's image. By the 1990s Bentley outsold Rolls-Royce. The cheaper Eight from 1984 broadened the appeal further.

All of these cars waft rather than hustle, apart from the turbocharged Bentleys, which pull hard thanks to enormous torque despite weighing around 2.5 tonnes. The Turbo R also corners with surprising composure for its size. Reputation hinges on maintenance: the engine can be long-lived, but the hydraulics, electrics, head gaskets on some later cars, and corrosion can all be expensive to put right on a neglected example.

• Years: 1980 to 1998 for the range as a whole. Sources vary on exact end dates for individual models; the Spirit ended around 1997 and the Bentleys gave way to the Arnage in 1998.
• Body styles: four-door saloon in standard and long wheelbase; factory-approved limousine and coachbuilt variants in small numbers.
• Engine: 6.75-litre aluminium pushrod V8 with twin SU carburettors at first, then fuel injection (1986 or 1987 depending on model and source), with Zytec engine management on later cars.
• Turbo engines: Mulsanne Turbo and Turbo R with a Garrett turbocharger, about 296 to 300bhp; later Turbo R power rose, with special variants above that.
• Gearboxes: three-speed GM Turbo Hydramatic 400, replaced by the four-speed GM 4L80E around 1991 to 1992 (sources differ by model).
• Production: Classics World gives 1,734 Eights; Auto Express gives over 4,000 Turbo Rs. Flying Spares says the Rolls-Royce saloons averaged nearly 1,000 a year. Overall totals were not found in a reliable source.

• 1980: Silver Spirit, Silver Spur and Bentley Mulsanne launched.
• 1982: Mulsanne Turbo, according to Classics World (the RAC gives 1984).
• 1984: Bentley Eight with mesh grille, firmer suspension and simpler trim.
• 1985: Turbo R replaces the Mulsanne Turbo, with roll stiffness raised by around 50 percent.
• 1986 to 1987: Bosch fuel injection and ABS; Mulsanne S joins the range as a non-turbo car with Turbo R styling.
• 1988: twin round headlamps on the Bentleys.
• 1989 to 1990: Spirit and Spur II; adaptive damping (Automatic or Active Ride Control) arrives on Rolls-Royce and Bentley models.
• 1991 to 1992: four-speed 4L80E gearbox; Bentley gear selector moves to the console. Spirit III follows with airbags and revisions. Brooklands replaces the Eight and Mulsanne S in 1992.
• 1995 to 1996: final New Spirit and Spur (often called Mk IV) with integrated bumpers; Turbo R facelift with Zytec injection.
• 1998: replaced by the Silver Seraph and Bentley Arnage.

Bodywork and structure

• Wheelarches rot first, followed by sills and the rear spring pans, which are structural. Missing rubber stone guards in the rear arches can hide repairs.
• Look for bubbling at the base of the rear screen and around the windscreen. Fixing it needs the glass out.
• The bonnet, boot lid and door skins are aluminium and suffer electrolytic corrosion, often at the bottom edge of the boot lid and around the number plate.
• Bumper corners can split as their mild steel cores rust and swell; stainless replacements exist.
• A magnet will find filler in steel panels but not in aluminium ones. Faded paint on the bonnet may mean missing underbonnet insulation.

Engine

• A clattering top end means worn hydraulic tappets or cams, usually from missed servicing. Specialists prefer genuine replacement parts.
• Look for emulsion under the oil filler cap or oil in the coolant: Auto Express describes head gasket failure as reasonably common on the Turbo R, and Classics World links it particularly to Zytec-managed engines.
• Carburettor cars can be hard to start hot. On Bosch-injected Bentleys, two distributors are linked by a rubber belt; if it breaks, the engine runs on four cylinders, so ask when it was changed.
• On turbo cars, check for smoke and ask about turbo history.

Gearbox and drivetrain

• The GM gearboxes are robust. Check prompt engagement of drive and reverse and smooth shifts. Fluid should be bright red; on some cars the wiper relay must be removed before checking, as the label warns.
• Shift repeatedly between reverse and drive: a heavy clonk suggests differential wear.

Suspension, steering and brakes

• Hydraulic test: with the ignition on, both warning lights should show; after starting they should go out within about 30 seconds cold or 20 seconds warm. With the engine off and system charged, you should get many brake applications (Flying Spares suggests at least 40) before the lights return. Fewer suggests failing accumulators.
• With the engine running, a heavy load on the boot sill should see the rear rise back to level.
• A knocking pump under braking, a bouncy rear, or a lumpy low-speed ride on cars with adaptive damping all indicate costly work.
• Knocking front ball joints are a known issue. Check the parking brake works, as its linkage seizes. Check ABS sensor wiring at the front hubs.
• Early Turbo Rs use 15-inch wheels with a single correct Avon tyre size; cheap mismatched tyres signal economy maintenance.

Electrics and interior

• Test window lifts (chains and guides stiffen), seat memory (internal batteries leak), the dashboard information display, and the air conditioning.
• Check wood veneer for lifting and the cabin for a musty smell; damp ruins veneer and electrics.
• Speaker foam often rots. Uneven or cheap carpets may point to hire-car use.

Identity and paperwork

• Bentley Turbo R, Mulsanne S, Eight and Rolls-Royce variants share bodies, so confirm the model and engine from the chassis number and records. Grilles and badges can be swapped.
• Look for a detailed history, ideally from marque specialists, covering hydraulic work, head gaskets and gearbox servicing.

Parts are widely available from established marque specialists, and many switches and fittings are shared with the Shadow. Body trim and some electronic components can be harder to find. Hydraulic work is a specialist job; the system shares its Citroën origins, but work should be done by someone familiar with these cars. Keep the car garaged and used regularly: a Spirit needs more length than many older garages offer. The Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club (https://rrec.org.uk) covers Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars of this era, and the Bentley Drivers Club (https://www.bdcl.org) is the long-established club for Bentley owners.

• Is there evidence of recent hydraulic system service, including accumulator spheres and hoses?
• Has the head gasket been replaced, and has the coolant been changed with inhibitor at the specified intervals?
• Is it carburettor or injected, three-speed or four-speed, and does that match the records?
• Has the car had welding to the arches, sills or spring pans, or repairs to the rear screen surround?
• Do the adaptive dampers, ABS, air conditioning, seats and windows all work without warning lights?