2001 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph Park Ward Saloon
Registration no. Y361 RFM
Chassis no. SCALD62EX1CH07629
Engine no. 61182400799965

Whenever a new Rolls-Royce appears, it is the manner in which tradition is weighed against innovation that most intrigues the public, and the Silver Seraph's introduction in 1998 was no exception. The most significant break with tradition was, of course, the adoption of BMW engines, the Seraph's power unit being the 5.3-litre, 60-degree V12 of the range-topping 750i. Thus the Silver Seraph became the first V12 Rolls-Royce since the pre-war Phantom III. The ZF five-speed automatic gearbox is likewise sourced from the 750i.

Changes to the body seemed less radical but were no less interesting. While the styling represented a conscious attempt to recall the looks of the Silver Cloud, its method of construction broke new ground for Rolls-Royce in several ways, the Seraph being the first model built on a moving assembly line. The body itself - now fully galvanised - used significantly fewer panels than that of the preceding Silver Spirit and took less time to make, while contriving to be 65% stiffer. Build quality was by all accounts even better than before. Apart from the BMW engine and ZF gearbox, the Seraph also featured suspension conceived by Lotus; Bosch electronics; and design and engineering input from various other motor industry specialists. The car had a base price of £155,175 in the UK and $220,695 in the USA.

Premiered at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show and introduced for the 2001 model year, the extended-wheelbase version of the Silver Seraph took its name from Rolls-Royce's in-house coachbuilder Park Ward. The Park Ward had 10" (250mm) added between its front and rear doors, with the extra length available in the rear compartment, increasing the legroom for passengers. The Silver Seraph ceased production in 2002 when manufacture of all Rolls-Royce motor cars ended at the historic Crewe factory, by which time only 127 of the top-of-the-range Park Ward variant had been produced: 100 LHD, 27 RHD.

The Rolls-Royce Seraph Park Ward offered here was first registered as 'RR 1' and has been looked after by Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists N Sandell of Isleworth, Middlesex since 2008. It incorporates all the usual 'extras', including rear vanity mirrors, TV (now digital), picnic tables, parking distance control, footrests, upgraded satellite navigation, DVD player with cordless headphones, rear radio, Bluetooth radio to front, over-rugs, and umbrellas. Currently displaying a total of 56,500 miles on the odometer, this rare car is described as being in excellent condition throughout and comes with extensive service history. The Silver Seraph Park Ward represents the ultimate in 20th Century motoring opulence and still impresses today.