Rolls Royce stands as one of the oldest car manufacturers that are still alive with a 118-year-long history behind the name. But those 118 years were pretty chaotic at times which is why we have a Rolls Royce Flying Spur, a model name associated with Bentley in the past few decades. As a matter of fact, younger people may not even know a Rolls-Royce Flying Spur ever existed, but that's understandable. The Rolls Royce Flying Spur was only made for one year and considering that Rolls Royce cars are low production to begin with, the RR Flying Spur is among the rarest cars ever made. That's a shame considering the Flying Spur is the first Rolls Royce with a turbocharger and a car that kicked off the line of turbocharged Bentleys we all know and love today. It was also the most powerful Rolls Royce you could buy at the time as the Flying Spur's horsepower was rated at 360 which was more than you got from some supercars back then. The giant V8 also made the most torque of any production car at the time making the Flying Spur that much more special. Naturally, the Flying Spur price back in the nineties was no joke, however, the same can't be said today. But we will cover that in more detail later in this Flying Spur review. For now, if you are looking for a Rolls Royce, check what we have on offer here at Exotic Car Trader, and then let's into this review.
Before the Rolls Royce Flying Spur came out, virtually all Rolls Royce and Bentley models used the iconic 6.75 liter V8 engine that, truth be told, didn't make much power. That could also be part of the reason why Rolls Royce always said the power of its models is sufficient instead of advertising the real figures. And while turbocharging was in full swing in the eighties, Rolls Royce waited until the technology was reliable enough to experiment with. Enter 1994 and the first 6.75 liter V8 was ready to get its first turbocharger that would rename the Silver Spur into the Flying Spur. Considering that the turbocharger increased torque significantly, it was the perfect engine for heavy sedans that Rolls Royce and Bentley made which is why Bentley stuck with forced induction from that point until today and Rolls Royce as well although it did mingle natural aspiration for a while after. That's why the Flying Spur marked the beginning of a new era where ultra-luxury sedans were no longer just comfortable but impressively fast as well. But as we mentioned, the model was only made for a year so how many Flying Spurs were produced you might wonder? And the answer is 134 so good luck finding one. You might also be interested to know where was the Flying Spur made and the answer isn't Goodwood but the Crewe factory in England that was purchased by VW from Vicker, together with Bentley. And now, let's get into the fun part of this Rolls Royce Flying Spur review.
The 6.75 liter V8 in its original, naturally aspirated form made only 240 horsepower in 1994 when the Flying Spur came out. Granted, the V8 made a ton of torque, but 240 horsepower was what you could get from a Sierra back in the eighties so it wasn't impressive in the mid-nineties by any means. And even though Rolls Royce clients are not after outright speed, there was something inherently wrong with spending nearly $200,000 on a car in the mid-nineties and knowing that a hot hatch would drag you. Well, the obvious solution was to slap a giant turbocharger on the giant V8 and see what happens. The result was the Flying Spur's horsepower and torque ratings of 360hp and 550 lb-ft. The torque rating was the highest of any production car at the time. That also lowered the Flying Spur's 0-60 time from nearly ten seconds down to seven seconds which is pretty quick even today. And it's even more impressive when we consider that the Flying Spur weighs 2.5 tons (5,445 lbs) which is more than what the latest Chevy Tahoe weighs. The Flying Spur's top speed is equally impressive for the period and the weight of the car with an official rating of 140 mph. Ultimately, the Flying Spur is the defining moment that brought us the 600 horsepower Rolls Royce models, and 200+ mile-an-hour Bentley sedans that we have today.
Even back in the nineties, you could easily distinguish between a Bentley and a Rolls Royce once you peek inside even though their nineties models were very much the same cars. Just like it's the case today with Rolls Royce interiors, the Flying Spur doesn't have unnecessary buttons, gauges, or chrome and everything is very subtle yet it looks expensive and attractive even today. Everything inside the Flying Spur is covered in leather if it's not covered by real wood. The gauges are simple and classy while the buttons are mostly polished aluminum. Essentially, everything you touch feels high-end and looks high-end. Also, this being an ultra-luxury sedan, the driver and front passenger get individual armrests attached to those huge leather seats. From what we can see, each Flying Spur interior came with multiple ashtrays as standard. In the back, there aren't as many toys as there are in modern luxury sedans but space, comfort, and leg room will never be an issue, both rear passengers get tables, privacy shades, and aggressively reclined seats. Also, everything in the Flying Spur is power including power seats, steering adjustment, trunk, and so on. The Flying Spur's interior design is proof that the current Rolls Royce interior designs will remain timeless in the future which is what the brand is trying to achieve by keeping it conservative.
The Rolls Royce Flying Spur exterior wasn't much different from that of the standard Silver Spur. The colors were much the same, the front grill, the rear end, and virtually everything other than the wheels. The wheels on the Flying Spur looked much sportier with a black and silver combination, or you could opt for bigger aluminum wheels. The Silver Spur on the other hand got much smaller wheels that were essentially chrome hub caps. Those looked great at the time, but they just wouldn't cut it on a 360-horsepower super sedan. Other than that, the Flying Spur sat lower than the Silver Spur, and the differences pretty much end there. Even the double exhaust pipes were the same on both models. And generally speaking, the Flying Spur's design is obviously a Rolls Royce thanks to that huge front grille. But the early nineties design definitely won't turn many heads today as it looks like any other nineties sedan to an untrained eye. But that makes the Flying Spur experience that much more interesting.
The Rolls Royce Flying Spur's most notable technology is the OBD system that became mandatory in 1995 making the Flying Spur among the first Rolls Royce models to get it. The OBD technology is also what made it easy for Rolls Royce to turbocharge that huge V8. That, coupled with electronic fuel injection and all the same sensors modern cars have today made the Rolls Royce Flying Spur as modern of a car in the nineties as it got. It also makes the Flying Spur pretty modern even today as those technologies didn't fundamentally change since. All that means is that the Flying Spur is pretty reliable for an old Rolls Royce and it could even make a good daily driver if it wasn't for the enormous fuel consumption and the sheer size of the thing.
The first question we should address in this part is how much was a Flying Spur worth back in 1995 when it was new and the answer is just under $200,000. That's around $400,000 adjusted for inflation which is what a fully loaded Rolls Royce Ghost EWB costs today, so not a cheap car by any means. Today, however, the Flying Spur can sell for as little as $10,000 or as much as $50,000 depending on the condition and originality of the example. There is also a beautiful Rolls Royce Flying Spur in black color for sale here at Exotic Car Trader that's going for just over $43,000. That example might not be available depending on when you are reading this, but feel free to browse Exotic Car Trader as we get new posts daily. Now, while 50 grand might sound like much, keep in mind that the Flying Spur is the oldest Rolls Royce you can buy that shares the same philosophy as modern Rolls Royce models. We should consider that only 134 were ever made and it's easy to see that their prices will likely keep rising in the near future even if it's just following the trend of nineties cars gaining popularity and value.
Hopefully, this Rolls Royce Flying Spur review has helped you get familiar with a car that not many car enthusiasts know exists or can't differentiate between and other Bentley and Rolls Royce models of the time period. The Flying Spur definitely deserves all the recognition it can get because, once again, it single-handedly helped shape what ultra-luxury cars become today. If you are looking for a rare supercar or a luxury car like the Flying Spur, Exotic Car Trader is the perfect spot to start your search as we get new posts daily and chances are, your desired car will pop up eventually if it's not already available. Once the car is here, reach out to us so we can help you with the entire buying process, or even the selling process. In the end, a special car like the Rolls Royce Flying Spur rarely flies under the radar, but it won't be like that for long as nineties cars are on the rise and the Flying Spur is among the most special ones from that period.
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