Review

Review: Rolls-Royce Mk.IV Silver Spirit (1995-96)

3 stars

  • Refined, effortless 6.75-litre V8 engine
  • The finest interior materials and craftsmanship
  • Supremely comfortable ride
  • Out-dated engine not powerful for its size
  • Sheer mass and soft suspension tune make for boat-like handling
  • High running and maintenance costs

Overview

Released in 1995, the Rolls-Royce Mk.IV Silver Spirit was a prestige saloon. Manufactured in Crewe, England, the rear-wheel drive Mk.II Silver Spur was powered by a 6.75-litre V8 petrol engine that was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission.

Compared to its Mk.III predecessor, the Mk.IV Silver Spirit could be identified by its reshaped body-colour bumpers, body-coloured door mirrors, smaller bonnet-mounted Spirit of Ecstasy and new alloy wheels. Inside, the radio was covered by a flip-up wood panel.

V8 engine

The 6.75-litre V8 petrol engine had an aluminium-silicon alloy cylinder block, aluminium alloy cylinder heads, electronic fuel injection, two valves per cylinder and Bosch Motronic M3.3 engine management. Supplied by General Motors, the electronically-controlled four-speed 4L80E automatic transmission was used due to its high torque capacity.

Dimensions

The Silver Spirit was 5268 mm long, 1887 mm wide, 1485 mm tall and had a 3061 mm long wheelbase; kerb weight was 2430 kg.

Suspension

The Mk.IV Silver Spirit had independent front suspension with lower wishbones and independent rear suspension with semi-trailing arms and a self-levelling function. The Silver Spirit suspension also featured an Automatic Ride Control (ARC) system which used electronically-controlled dampers. The ARC system used vertical and longitudinal accelerometers to measure body movement – interpreted by a micro-processor – and automatically engaged one of three damper settings: comfort, normal or firm. Firm mode was always employed when the car was stationary.

Rolls-Royce Mk.IV Silver Spirit specifications
  Engine Trans. Years Peak power Peak torque
Mk.IV Silver Spirit 6.75-litre petrol V8 4sp auto 1995-96 180 kW at 3900 rpm (est.) N/A
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Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Mk.IV Silver Spirit included dual front airbags and ABS.

Features

Standard features for the Mk.IV Silver Spirit included 16-inch alloy wheels, a ten speaker Alpine sound system with a radio, cassette player and a CD player with a six-disc CD stacker, climate control air conditioning, leather upholstery, power adjustable and heated front seats with memory settings, cruise control, central locking, power windows, power mirrors and a tilt-adjustable steering wheel.

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