Awesome Rolls Royce! Investment Grade! Amazing Car! Rare Opportunity!

1985 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit/Spur/Dawn

Unlike many of the other sellers here on eBay, I wanted to give some honest information about the purchase of my 1985 Rolls Royce Silver Spur, partially as a cautionary tale and part comedy. It is my belief that many of the people who are selling these cars are selling them because they know the truth... they are cars that are in need of constant mechanical attention that goes way beyond the scope of most expert mechanics, never mind people who might call themselves British car enthusiasts, or even admirers.
I bought my car from a little old Indian lady named Lalita from California, sight unseen. I took her word on the history of the car, as well as the mechanical condition of the car, and she said it was her husband's car and he passed away. For the most part, she said she didn't know much about the history of the car, but it runs and drives well, and needs a few things. It was left unused for a few years and sat outside she said, but most of all the damage to the interior was fixable and was from sitting in the California sun.
In retrospect, now that I have come to my senses I have realized that people will bend the truth when trying to sell these cars, possibly more than any other car I have seen. Keep in mind, I am a mechanic and engineer by trade, and am by no means delusional. But, when it came to wanting one of these cars, I fear at first I was. And I don't want other people, or Rolls Royce Silver Spur cars, to suffer because of a seller misrepresenting what these cars actually are so I am going to attempt to get across what my experience was, so others may be warned.
If you didn't know, parts for a Rolls Royce Silver Spur are expensive, but just how expensive is the question. Let's put it this way... even if you are a decent mechanic, like me, you will run into some huge and seemingly insurmountable problems if you are trying to keep a car like this 100% original as it was from the factory... it's actually impossible. Many of the parts are either unreasonably expensive, or simply don't exist anymore in working capacity.
Right out of the gates, what dear Lalita didn't tell me was that the car doesn't start after running for a few minutes. This turned out to be an injector issue... and the car needs new injectors and a rebuilt fuel distributor... and the kicker is this... unless they have been run on only non-ethanol gas since 1985, they ALL NEED NEW BOSCH INJECTORS and A REBUILT BOSCH K JETRONIC FUEL DISTRIBUTOR. But let's get real about what's involved in that... there are no shortcuts to new injectors. It took me 24 hours of labor to get the fuel system dismantled and successfully remove all the injectors.
The fuel injectors are blocked from access on the passenger side of the car... no shortcuts. By the time you get the entire EGR system removed, and move the air induction system out of the way, then move the fuel lines out of the way, remove the fuel distributor, and then finally get to the injectors, you will be deep in a pile of infinitely complex parts and a ton of MM sized bolts. I dare say, only the most determined of mechanics will be able to put this mess back together.
For me, the only reasonable option was to fit a Holley Carburetor to the car, and bypass the EGR system completely. Fortunately, I live in a state where there is no emissions requirements for a car this old. This however, assumes that you can custom design a plate to join a 4 Barrel carburetor to the manifold of this car, and figure out how to block off the EGR system. Let's just say you must be very creative indeed to succeed at it, which I am in the process of completing. Stay tuned.
One of the things I hate these days is that the majority of people buying these cars are first time Rolls buyers, and feel like they are joining an exclusive club. While this may be true, the reality will set in when you realize the heat and A/C don't work, and can't be maintained realistically. Also, the transmission, while a GM 400 and known for reliability, is not without it's own issues because the shift gate is servo controlled and completely electronic, which means 99.9% of transmission mechanics have never worked on one.
In the area of suspention, it is a wonderful feeling system.... when it works. It is a contained gas/mineral oil Girling system with hydraulic lines spread in every direction along and underneath and around the underside of the car... which given any leak in the system renders the car inoperable. It's either 100% perfect, or nothing. Keep that in mind.
A more realistic listing for one of these cars would say:
Suspension: Hoping and Hopeful!
Fuel Injection System: Needs rebuilding 100% top to bottom
Fuel: Ethanol Free Only NO EXCEPTION and there is no way to adapt a car like this to Ethanol because no one ever anticipated Corn Syrup fuel in 1985
Seat motors: Probably don't work
Wipers: Won't work for sure
Horn: Probably not unless you are lucky
Electrical Problems: Guaranteed because these cars have multiple grounding points... everywhere.
Required Maintenance: You better be an 9.5/10 or higher level mechanic to own one of these... no one services these for reasonable prices anymore. They are a mechanics car only. Even Jay Leno only owns 1 and his is a Bentley Turbo R. They are the mechanical mess you graduate to only after a lifetime of wrenching. Guaranteed.
I just hope this listing helps someone understand what they are really getting into and what these cars are in truth, rather than fiction.
See you out on the road... someday my friends. Careful Bidding. And yes this car is for sale for the price above after a complete restoration... which will be ready in 3 years so this listing is for real.

• Condition: Used
• Make: Rolls-Royce
• Model: Silver Spirit/Spur/Dawn
• Year: 1985
• Mileage: 25,000
• VIN: SCAZN42A5FCX13271
• Color: Blue
• Interior color: Gray
• Vehicle Title: Clear
Want to buy? Contact seller!