There’s always an air of sadness when a car brand gets snapped up by a bigger fish. Just look at the uproar invoked by Audi taking over Lamborghini in 1998 or Tata acquiring JLR in 2007. Heck, some folks are still reeling from MG’s sale to Chinese motoring giant SAIC nearly 20 years ago.
For the aforementioned, at least, their respective acquisitions have arguably worked out for the better. Lamborghini is still churning out V12 supercars under Audi’s watchful eye, JLR likely wouldn’t have survived as long as it has without Tata’s backing and MG would have doubtlessly gone the way of Austin Motors, Hillman and umpteen other defunct British brands had it not been preserved. However, no matter how good or bad a job the new owners put in, the run-out models released prior to any given takeover are typically fawned over as the last ‘original’ specimens. You know, before the big bad car giant stepped in and drained them of their souls. That’s partly why there’s huge demand for old Diablos, classic Minis and pre-BMW Rolls-Royces like the Silver Seraph we have here.
Hard to believe this was the direct predecessor to the seventh-generation Phantom: the first Roller to be fully developed under BMW’s ownership and the car many credit as the company’s saviour. That said, it’s not like the Silver Seraph was thrown together on a shoestring budget. Rolls-Royce and Bentley (who were still in cahoots at this point) spent the better part of a decade developing a successor to the Silver Spirit and Spur respectively, and that was evident the moment first drives of the Silver Seraph/Arnage surfaced in 1998. Reviewers praised the new platform’s improved body control, quieter cabin and top-drawer refinement, hailing it as the best Rolls-Royce (or Bentley in the case of the Arnage) in years.
On top of that, the Silver Seraph marked the firm’s return to V12 power after a near-60-year hiatus. While not under BMW rule just yet, the German car giant had struck an agreement in the early '90s to supply Rolls-Royce with the same M73 V12 found in the E38 7 Series and E31 8 Series. Rolls-Royce once regarded the practice of quoting power figures as roughly the equivalent of dropping one’s trousers in the centre of Piccadilly Circus or applying jam to toast without buttering first, but it’d surely be a match for the 326hp unit in BMW’s offerings. Not a huge amount considering it’s got 2.3 tonnes of leather and walnut to lug around, but it’s said to have been delightfully wafty once you were up and running.
It’s just a shame then that the Silver Seraph rarely gets the recognition it deserves, mainly because it was caught up in a naming rights squabble that’d ultimately see Volkswagen produce the saloon alongside the Bentley Arnage while BMW would be responsible for new Rolls-Royce products. In all, just 300 Silver Seraphs were produced between 1998 and 2002, with the example you see here being the very last one off the line. As such, it’s loaded with options, including cocktail requisites, picnic tables and a fridge to name but a few, plus there are the words ‘The Final Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph’ embossed on the dash along with the chassis number.
Perhaps more impressive is the fact that it’s only done 260 miles. The car once belonged to Bentley and, presumably, has sat still for much of the last two decades. It’s therefore in impeccable condition inside and out, with accessories such as brollies and cushions still wrapped in plastic. Talk about a time warp. You’ll need to give the seller a ring to find out what’s hiding behind the POA, but expect to pay a wedge more than the £32,995 being asked for this 1999 car. You’ll be getting a proper piece of Rolls-Royce (and Bentley) history in return, mind, one that arguably deserves more recognition than it currently gets.
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