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1981 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit Mark 1 Saloon This Rolls Royce Silver Spirit was Special Ordered Brand New by the famed Celebrity and Comedian. Walter Matthau. (Grumpy Old Men. Dennis The Menace. Odd Couple) Mr. Matthau was one of the foremost actor/comedians of his time in the 1960's. 70's. 80's. and 90's. This car has been kept and meticulously maintianed in the Matthau family from brand new and is now available for private sale. Mr Walter Matthau and His Wife Carol. custom ordered this documented beauty from Rolls Royce in 1980 after seeing the newly redesigned Rolls Royce slated to become available in the United States in 1981. Having already Owned a Silver Shadow. they were eager to own this state of the art motorcoach. picking the specific color scheme of Metallic Ocean Blue Exterior and Dark Lunar Blue Creme Leather Interior with every option available including Bosch Fuel Injection. self leveling suspension. and rarest of handpicked burlwood interior. Walter and his Wife took possession in the summer of 1981 at a cost of $140. 00. 00. This coveted Automobile was so cherished that when Walter Matthau passed on in 2000. His wife Carol kept the car in his honor. After Carol passed on. Walter's Son. Charlie Matthau. (Director and Actor) received the car and enjoyed it himself with his new wife Ashley for some time before deciding to pass this splendid car onto a new owner. (PLEASE SEE PICTURE of Walter and His Wife Carol as well as they other picture of their Son Charlie Matthau and his New Wife Ashley with Hugh Hefner and Holly Madison) Included also. will be a personalized letter to the new owner from Charlie Matthau himself. This Rolls Royce has been extremely well maintained. both mechanically and cosmetically. This car has been nothing but babied. Mr. Matthau and his Wife thoroughly enjoyed this Automobile and used it for Red Carpet Social Events such as the 1982 Oscars. to drive to the studio to film movies such as "The Survivors" with Robin Williams. "Pirates". "The Couch Trip" with Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon . to drive toThe 1989 Oscars where he presented Lucille Ball and Bob Hope. to drive to work to film "Grumpy Old Men" with Jack Lemmon. "Dennis the Menace". "IQ" with Tim Robins and Meg Ryan. "Out to Sea". as well as Many other movies sets. Plays. Operas. and other fabulous events. This Exquisite 1981 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit Mark 1 Saloon is a timeless automobile. one of the last of its bread that was entirely hand crafted in Crewe. Cheshire. England. to the highest levels of luxury. well above today's standards. Driving this Celebrity owned vehicle is quite the nostalgic experience. still demanding that very powerful presence. Every moment of driving this motorcoach captures the attention of all the other motorist. especially as a majestic Rolls Royce floats by. This rust free vehicle is being sold with all its original. tools. books. manuals. jack. and accessories. The tools. accessories. and Jack have never been used and are actually still in its factory wrappings. I am also including some Walter Matthau Memorabilia. (movie posters. cards. signed card. registration with name and address. CA plates. special address to new owner from Matthau Family) which is all included with the car. Mechanically. it's as sound as can be. motor. transmission and rear axle all function flawlessly and have always been maintained by a certified Rolls Royce dealer. The a/c blows cold and heater works great. The electrical components are also in excellent working order. everything works as it should: Wipers. mirrors. windows. lights. seats. radio etc. The engine is so clean that it didn't even require a wipe down when it was received and it continues to stay that way. The tires installed are Dunlop GT radials with about 1000 miles on them and about 95% tread. One notable feature of this Rolls Royce is the A/C compressor cooling system is equivalent to 11 home refrigerators! CARFAX CERTIFIED. PLEASE ASK FOR A COPY! (Ebay is not including it for some reason) Cosmetically the car has no major dents. dings or scratches. (2 small dings and few little paint chips) The beautiful Metallic Ocean Blue color shines like new. This is the original color of the car and it has always been garaged. There is one small dent in the left rear of the car but is unnoticeable unless pointed out. Additionally there is a light scratch on the right rear fender about the length of a dime. It's possible it may have been repainted in its lifetime but we can not tell from looking at the door jams. trunk. and windows. This is an accident free. 00% original car which was received by the Matthau Family in the exact condition as which it sits now. Therefore. the 2 small dings were compliments of Walter himself. The Connoly leather interior is an incredible condition with no rips. cuts. or stains. The leather has been maintained and is soft and supple. however. this is still a 35 year old car so it is not brand new. This was a smoker car as Walter occasionally smoked when he first got the Rolls. There are 5 ash trays. 2 of which are in the front driver and passenger top burlwood door. which is actually really cool because we have never seen ash trays there before. All the ash trays are clean and there is no smell or signs of smoking or burn marks anywhere in the car. The wood trim as shown in the photos is also in pristine condition. ABOUT THE 1981 ROLLS ROYCE SILVER SPIRIT MARK 1 SALOON: Rolls Royce unveiled an entirely new modern design for 1980 after a long 16 year run of the previous Silver Shadow. Although not entirely new. the Silver Spur/Spirit featured many new upgrades in the way of technology. electronics. engine management systems. and all around comfort. The familiar and venerable 6. 75 litre V8 engine was placed in the new model matted to the GM sourced THM 400 and the companies completely revised self leveling hydraulic rear suspension. The new system was very similar to the previous Silver Shadow’s suspension but Rolls Royce used a Girling automatic hydraulic ride height control system with gas charged shock absorbers making the ride far superior and more reliable than the Silver Shadows. The Silver Spur was the long wheelbase model which sold alongside the short wheelbase Silver Spirit model. The two new cars marked a very important time for Rolls Royce/Bentley. they were to be the platforms of the new models that would come for the next two decades. This luxury ride is powered by the legendary Rolls 6 3/4L Bosch fuel injected V8 running through a GM THM 400 automatic transmission. This car is finished in a beautiful midnight blue paint with matching top and interior. To complete the exterior look the car sports 4 new tires. The best part of this car is the plush interior. Saddle leather wraps the seats door panels. Traditional wood grain adorns the doors dash. This car has all the amenities of a modern car; A/C Satellite Radio. CD. AM/FM cruise control power brakes power steering. nbsp; power locks. power seats. power windows. leather interior. and radial tires It doesn't matter that this 1981 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit is almost 35 years old. its still a heavy-hitter. Technology may have progressed. but the timeless elegance of a Rolls-Royce is one of the few constants in the automotive world. With hand-stitched leather. burled walnut trim. and effortless performance. there are some things that remain unique despite the passage of time. There is no mistaking the big Silver Spirit. which is positively stunning. Its imposing and formal-looking. and the everyone who sees it will be craning their necks to see who is inside. The paint is incredibly beautiful but not flashy. but that's the Rolls-Royce way. elegance in motion. Fit and finish are. of course. exemplary in every way. with hand-rubbed paint. panels that are tweaked by workers at the end of the assembly line to meet very strict tolerances. Even after three decades. this one looks superb. Its not perfect. but with this quality. it remains tangible in every aspect of the car. The interior is really why you buy a Rolls-Royce. Beautiful Lunar Blue leather is simply unlike anything else available from other manufacturers. The seats are sumptuous and deep. but still supportive enough for all-day comfort. Connolly leather with Woolton wool. plush Rolls-Royce tailored Lambs-wool floor mats. Interior wood appointments feature book matched deep lacquered Burled Walnut veneer. Wilton wool carpets are plush enough to feel through the soles of your shoes. and I believe there was one guy in Crewe who was responsible for choosing all the burled walnut panels that make Rolls-Royce dashboards. The controls have a serious heft to them. and the heavy chrome switches and knobs should be a course of study for any automotive interior designer. A mini console has the controls for the power bucket seats and windows. with everything else neatly grouped in front of the driver. Rolls-Royce used their own six-and-three-quarter litre V8 and gave it adequate horsepower to move this Steal Horse. The result is almost electric-motor smoothness and performance that is. well. adequate. It whispers along at highway speeds and is happy to idle in traffic while occupants are blissfully unaware of the cacophony outside. The automatic transmission is silky smooth and the all-independent suspension offers comfort and reasonable handling. Prestige at an affordable price. this well-maintained Rolls-Royce is a very affordable of previously unobtainable luxury. If you want to feel like a million bucks for a fraction of the price. no other car can do it better. Not to mention the investment possibilities (low miles. well maintained. celebrity owned) Only a couple hundred were made in 1981. nbsp; and in its overall life time. far few compared to the mass produced and no longer hand made Phantom. Best value for price. insurance and retained value. This car is solid. easy to maintain and timeless. Few people understand it was designed for easy service and maintenance. It is a fast car with great linear acceleration and excellent handling and brakes. It is like sitting in your living room on a long road trip. Additionally. the engine does not require premium fuel. Insurance costs are also very low. So indulge yourself and be parked up front almost every time. You will get more attention in these cars even if they are 20-30 years old. All people know is it's a ROLLS ROYCE. HISTORY / FEATURES OF THE ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SPIRIT/ SPURIntroduced by Rolls-Royce in 1980. the Silver Spirit and Silver Spur were the beginning of a new generation of models for the company. From the Silver Shadow roots. it is a large and handsome car distinguished by four rectangular headlamps set in rectangular frames with wrap-around side and warning lights. (which set the standard for years to come) with greater slope to the windscreen and rear window. an extension forward of the rear bumper on each side. and with slight uplift of the lower rear corners of the rear windows. The somewhat sleeker appearance of the car is accompanied by 30 percent more glass area. The overall length of the car is 207 3/4 inches. The Company offered a long wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit. This car. the Rolls-Royce Silver Spur. is about four inches longer at 211 3/4 inches overall. Induction for the V-8 engine was changed to Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. and the compression ratio increases to 8. 0:1. Beyond adequate power comes from the Rolls-Royce produced 412 cubic-inch 90 degree V8 with Fuel-injection. The engine crankcase emission control system utilizes a single catalytic converter. From the catalytic converter back the system reverts to dual-exhaust with four silencer boxes (mufflers). Its low North American specification 8. 0:1 compression ratio lends to a long service life. Crewe built Rolls-Royce Silver Spurs featured a General Motors Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission manufactured to Rolls-Royce specifications. and blueprinted by Rolls-Royce. The 2. 5:1 first-gear ratio with a specially designed torque-converter is unique to Rolls-Royce. Servicing (rebuilding) this transmission can be handled by any transmission shop familiar with General Motors automatic transmissions. Rolls-Royce standard features include * Audio equipment radio * Automatic speed control * Air conditioning system * Power steering * Power dual-system brakes * digital Elapsed time indicator * Power windows * digital Display panel * Engine oil check switch * Fuel and engine oil level indicator * Outside air temperature gauge * MSRP in 1981 starting at over $110. 00. The year 2002 marked the last of the Crewe built and engineered Rolls-Royce automobiles and the end of the era of hand made automobiles. The instrument board now features an electronic digital display for time. temperature. speed. elapsed time. road icing and other factors. The leather upholstery is as elegant as ever. A new rear suspension incorporating gas springs. adjusts the ride to the load and aids cornering. This new system had been launched during 1979 on the Corniche and Camargue models. An improved air conditioning system was installed in the new Silver Spirit. which now supplies two climate levels. Additionally. nbsp; many of the changes behind the development of the new car were due to impending safety legislation. The Spirit of Ecstasy. for example. was no longer fixed to the grille. but designed to retract into the radiator shell upon impact. Overall. only 6. 38 Silver Spirit/Spurs were produced from 1980 thru 1989. making this an incredible and rare piece of Rolls-Royce history. ABOUT THE THM400 ROLLS ROYCE TRANSMISSION: The THM400 was one of the most sought after transmissions of its day and is still popular with hot roder's. racer's. and off roader's because of its durability. torque. reliability. and ability to handle huge horsepower. Auto manufacturers that have used the THM400 include Ferrari (in the400/412); Jaguar/Daimler (in pre-1994 XJ12 and XJ-S coupes) and their Daimler stable mates; Rolls-Royce (in 1965–1980 Silver Shadow and 1980-1992 Silver Spirit series cars. Notable vehicles that have also used this bullet proof transmission include The Presidential Limousine used during the Reagan Administration. (a modified 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham) and the United States Army HMMWV. better known as the Hummer H1. Yes. Rolls Royce basically put a Tank transmission in their Automobile!ADDITIONAL INFO: I have included as many photos possible to assist in my description. However. If you require more photos and/or information please feel free to contact us at: 480 823 9333 or by email. If you need a shipping quote please call and we'll be happy to provide you one. If you need all your shipping logistics coordinated we'll be more than happy to arrange it for you at no cost (buyer is responsible for actual shipping cost). Rather fly in and take delivery personally? We'll gladly pick you up at the airport! This beauty is ready to drive anywhere! This is an As-IS sale. we encourage you ask any and all questions before committing to bid. This is a used car even though there is minimal wear and tear on this vehicle of this mileage and use. Mr. Matthau's California plate will be included in the sale. ALL Service performed at required intervals. Last major service was performed less than 200 miles ago at a cost of over $4. 00. 00. The entire car was gone through. sparing no expense. Service included included new rear shock absorbers . flushing hydrolic leveling and breaking system. new fuel filter. new spark plugs. new spark plug wires. rotor. and distributor cap. rear diff seal. power steering hose. transmission fluid/gasket/filter service. air conditioning service. All maintenance receipts will also be included. This includes the previous major service at 21. 81 miles which included replacing the brake spheres and seals (heart of the breaking system) as well as other preventative maintenance at a previous cost of $4. 59. 13. This car is like new needs nothing to drive anywhere in the country! Please ask if you would like to see all of the receipts. (including CARFAX) we would be more than happy to email the entire booklet to you. Thanks again !! Happy Bidding!
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