Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph
Encyclopedia
The Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, produced from 1998 to 2002, was first unveiled on March 3, 1998 at the Geneva Motor Show. The Silver Seraph replaced the Silver Spur, which ended production in 1997.
All Seraphs were hand-built at the Rolls-Royce
factory in Crewe
, England
, which stopped making Rolls-Royce models in 2002 but continued with Bentley
. The car had a base price of £
155,175 in the UK and $220,695 in the US
. It was second in cost and exclusivity only to the Rolls-Royce Corniche
.
The Seraph was powered by a 5.4 L aluminium alloy BMW
V12
engine and was operated via a 5-speed automatic transmission
, making it the first twelve-cylinder Rolls-Royce since the 1939 Phantom III
. Standard electronics included digital engine management, adaptive ride control and anti-lock brakes.
The body was 65 percent stiffer than that of its predecessor. Aside from the radiator grille, badges and wheels, the Rolls-Royce was externally identical to the contemporary Bentley Arnage
, sharing both its platform and body shell. The exterior was available in one and two-tone finishes.
Inside, the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph and the Bentley Arnage were similar but quite distinct from one another. In the Seraph, the gear selector was column-mounted and the gauges followed a traditional Rolls-Royce layout (for example, there was no tachometer). In both cars, the seats and dashboard were upholstered in Connolly Leather
, with dashboard trim and folding picnic trays for rear passengers faced with glossy burl walnut
veneer.
The Seraph was known for its relatively limited acceleration and comfortable handling, in comparison to the Arnage, which had a twin turbocharged V8 of its own design and firmer suspension. However, the Seraph still had a top speed of 140 mi/h.
.
All Seraphs were hand-built at the Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Motors
Rolls-Royce Motors was created from the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
factory in Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which stopped making Rolls-Royce models in 2002 but continued with Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
. The car had a base price of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
155,175 in the UK and $220,695 in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was second in cost and exclusivity only to the Rolls-Royce Corniche
Rolls-Royce Corniche (2000)
The Rolls-Royce Corniche is a two-door, four-seater luxury car with a cabriolet body, made in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2002. Rolls-Royce's flagship car, it was the fifth model to bear the Corniche name on its debut in January 2000. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive...
.
The Seraph was powered by a 5.4 L aluminium alloy BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
V12
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
engine and was operated via a 5-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
, making it the first twelve-cylinder Rolls-Royce since the 1939 Phantom III
Rolls-Royce Phantom III
The Rolls-Royce Phantom III was the final large pre-war Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1936, it replaced the Phantom II and it was the only V12 Rolls-Royce until the 1998 introduction of the Silver Seraph....
. Standard electronics included digital engine management, adaptive ride control and anti-lock brakes.
The body was 65 percent stiffer than that of its predecessor. Aside from the radiator grille, badges and wheels, the Rolls-Royce was externally identical to the contemporary Bentley Arnage
Bentley Arnage
The Bentley Arnage is a large luxury car produced by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England from 1998 to 2009. The Arnage, and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the Spring of 1998, and were the first entirely new designs for the two marques since 1980.Another break...
, sharing both its platform and body shell. The exterior was available in one and two-tone finishes.
Inside, the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph and the Bentley Arnage were similar but quite distinct from one another. In the Seraph, the gear selector was column-mounted and the gauges followed a traditional Rolls-Royce layout (for example, there was no tachometer). In both cars, the seats and dashboard were upholstered in Connolly Leather
Connolly Leather
Connolly Leather was for over 125 years, a British company supplying highly finished leather primarily to car manufacturers. The term is also used to describe the particular brand of leather itself, when fitted in a car interior....
, with dashboard trim and folding picnic trays for rear passengers faced with glossy burl walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
veneer.
The Seraph was known for its relatively limited acceleration and comfortable handling, in comparison to the Arnage, which had a twin turbocharged V8 of its own design and firmer suspension. However, the Seraph still had a top speed of 140 mi/h.
Park Ward model
An extended wheelbase version of the Silver Seraph, called simply the Rolls-Royce Park Ward, was introduced for the 2001 model year (at least in the United States. The Park Ward model was introduced at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show.http://www.edmunds.com/rollsroyce/parkward/2001/review.html The Park Ward (sometimes called the Silver Seraph Park Ward) was extended 250 mm (10 in.) relative to the Silver Seraph. It retained the 5-passenger seating of the standard Silver Seraph. Like its smaller cousin, the Park Ward was discontinued after 2002; a total of 127 Park Wards were produced.http://www.rrab.com/rparkw.htmProduction figures
A total of 1,570 Silver Seraphs were produced before production ceased. It was indirectly replaced by the Rolls-Royce Phantom in 2003, and then the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost. The discontinued Bentley Arnage continued to be based on the Silver Seraph until 2009. Bentley is now owned by VolkswagenVolkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
.
Reviews
- RAC
'The Silver Seraph marks a new start for Rolls-Royce in their quest to once more be recognised as manufacturers of the world's best cars. And it's quite a credible effort'