Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph model guide

We revisit the overlooked Silver Seraph from the final days of a British-owned Rolls-Royce

Words: Paul Wager

The period which saw the Bentley and Rolls-Royce brands pass into German ownership has been covered many times before but still bears repeating. The accepted version of history is that when parent Vickers put the famous brands up for sale, it was Volkswagen which initially won the bidding war, only to find that the engine supply agreement with rival BMW and the unexpected lack of rights to use the Rolls-Royce marque put it in a precarious position. In a transparent attempt to save face, VW claimed that the Bentley marque with its potentially larger sales volume was the brand it had wanted all along and the Rolls-Royce brand ended up being sold to BMW after all.

The alternative view, depending on which conspiracy theory you believe is that the deal had already been carved out to everybody’s satisfaction long before on a German golf course. Whatever the truth of the matter, the result was that both Bentley Arnage and Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph were made side by side at Crewe until January 2003 when production of Rolls-Royces moved to BMW’s newly built Goodwood facility. In the interim, the all-new super-luxury Phantom VII had been developed in Munich, meaning that the Silver Seraph didn’t make the move from Cheshire to Sussex.

That explains why just 1570 Seraphs were sold during its short four-year production run. The story for its Bentley-badged sibling however was rather different, the Arnage not only continuing in production under VW ownership until 2009 but being notably upgraded during that time.

Today, that rarity sees Seraph prices rising beyond the values of the more common Bentley but these cars make an intriguing alternative to the more traditional Shadow, Spirit or Turbo R, presenting an opportunity to move up to a slightly more modern car without getting into the lofty price levels of the BMW-era Rolls-Royces or the very different VW-era Bentleys.

The project which would eventually become the Seraph and Arnage first began in the late 1980s as ‘Project SXB’, with the original ideal being to create a single platform for Rolls-Royce and Bentley but with the two brands using different bodywork.

The Rolls-branded car would have just two side windows, using a large rear pillar to conceal the rear passengers, with swooping lines recalling the old Silver Cloud and the general shape said to evoke a motor yacht powering through the water. The Bentley car meanwhile was to use slimmer pillars, three side windows and a truncated tail for a less stately appearance.

In one of those ‘Doh!’ moments which seems to happen so often in the British motor industry, it wasn’t until the US importer was consulted that anyone realised the proposed length of 5131mm was unworkable. That was smaller than the outgoing car – itself compact compared to the Cadillacs of the day – and just wouldn’t have been credible.

The project went back to the drawing board in 1989 and got as far as creating two styling proposals before economic recession arrived and a rethink was needed. The result was that the idea of using two distinct body styles had to be abandoned and effort was instead put into creative solutions to differentiate the Rolls and Bentley models at minimal cost.

By then, times had changed and the classical radiator grille shape was seen as perhaps too ostentatious in many markets while also being a touch old-fashioned compared to the sleek new shapes from the competition.

Accordingly, much work went into reducing the visual weight of the radiator grille, subtly smoothing off the surround, shrinking the Spirit of Ecstacy and adding body coloured elements, leaving it more contemporary, less aggressive yet still recognisably a Rolls-Royce.

Meanwhile behind the scenes, management had been talking to BMW of all people which had already expressed interest in acquiring the company and had even produced its own proposals for what a Rolls-Royce should look like. The idea went no further at the time, but did translate into a technology supply agreement, granting Crewe access to BMW’s componentry and body engineering resources.

This came at the perfect moment since the new car still needed an engine. The long-serving Rolls-Royce L-Series V8 dated from the 1950s and it was felt that the expense of updating it to meet pending emissions legislation would be uneconomical. Ironically, it was also felt that the relatively low-tech design was out of step with the new modern image the firm was hoping to convey… although that line of thinking would ultimately be proved very wrong.

Surprisingly, despite the existing collaboration, the BMW engine wasn’t the only unit considered. At various times the GM ‘Northstar’ V8 was considered, as were Mercedes V8 and V12 units before the BMW V12 became the powerplant of choice.

No doubt the existing BMW component sharing played a big part in the decision, since the BMW V12 could be seamlessly integrated with items like transmission electronics and air conditioning controls without further development.

By April 1997 the name Silver Seraph had been chosen and a date had been set for a Scottish launch in January 1998. Press reaction was mixed, road testers torn between admitting that the creaking body structure of the old Spirit-derived models had been banished by a state-of-the-art construction, and bemoaning the fact that the BMW V12, powerful thought it was, lacked the effortless low-speed torque of the old pushrod V8.

In reality though, the smooth-spinning nature of the V12 meant that this wasn’t an issue and the refinement more than compensated for a slight change in character. In car-making terms though, this was all rather academic since corporate manoeuvring would mean that the Seraph was destined for a short life.

In May 1998 it was announced that VW had taken control of the Crewe company, followed in July by the announcement that the two brands would be separated, Volkswagen making Rolls-Royces under licence at Crewe until January 1, 2003 at which point manufacturing would move to the all-new factory near Chichester.

This meant that Silver Seraph production ceased at the end of 2002, after just 1570 examples, leaving it as something of an orphan but an intriguing creation nonetheless.

Its Bentley Arnage sibling is relatively commonplace, but the Seraph’s short production run means it was something of an overlooked Rolls-Royce for many years.

As a result, it’s a fascinating car to experience and the long-wheelbase Park Ward car you see here which represents the pinnacle of Seraph development is probably the best way to sample it.

Early cars were criticised for a lack of legroom, which was remedied shortly after launch by revising the seats, but the Park Ward added a majestic 10 inches to the length.

It was no basic cut ‘n’ shut job, either. Although the extra length is all in the rear cabin, the stretch is neatly concealed in the original design and the factory nature of the work means there’s no roof joint to cover with a vinyl roof or similar.

Inside, the ardent BMW geek will spot the 7-Series switchgear, notably the climate control panel, the steering wheel and the column switches among other smaller items, but they’re paired with a smattering of the chromed controls traditional to Rolls-Royce.

Traditional touches are continued with the neatly piped leather, deep carpeting and the wood on dashboard and doors, which leaves you in no doubt that this isn’t a factory-made commodity in the mould of the S-Class or 7-Series but something crafted with skill by hand. In the case of the Seraph, it’s particularly impressive since the dashboard for example is composed not of flat planks but compound curves which can’t have been easy or cheap to veneer. Indeed, its creation was said to consume 150 man hours.

Firing up the Seraph naturally involves a repurposed BMW ignition key, with the key slot in the dashboard much where you’d find it in a Silver Spirit. You’ll only hear the engine from outside of course, but it sounds different from the old V8, busier in its operation and seemingly spinning faster but also incredibly refined.

An unseemly stab of the throttle reveals it to be notably more alive than the lazier L-Series and this translated into sparkling performance: for a 5.4m-long car to crack 60mph in under seven seconds is strong stuff.

Unsurprisingly, piloting a Seraph is not dissimilar to the controversial ‘E65’ generation of 7-Series and it’s clear to see that information flowed both ways during the BMW partnership.

On the move, the increased refinement put the car on a pair with the contemporary competition and if you’ve stepped straight from the Spirit generation into the Seraph it’s the increased bodyshell rigidity – said to be 65 per cent greater – which is the most noticeable thing.

The Seraph dispensed with the complex high-pressure hydraulics of the older cars, relying on conventional brakes and electronic control of the damping to provide an adaptive ride system. Paired with the stiffer shell, this allowed it to retain the cushioned ride of previous generations, yet also provide sufficient driver enjoyment for owners who chose to occupy the front seat.

And if they didn’t, then buyers going for the Park Ward option would be more than happy in the back, where you find sculpted armchairs and simply massive legroom, topped off with a separate DVD player and drop-down roof-mounted screen.

Taken in isolation, the Silver Seraph was a remarkable achievement by a company with slender resources, seeming somehow even more elegant yet also more discreet than its forebears.

The Seraph is always compared to the very similar Bentley Arnage but we’re drawn to the Rolls-Royce simply for its rarity and serenity… plus its V12 engine, an automotive extravagance which will soon be history in the interests of climate preservation.