Hi All, I'm thinking of adding a 1980's RR Silver Spirit to the stable (1987 or earlier because that will save me $1.800 in road taxes per year. Meant to be an occasional weekend cruiser. Just for fun Could anyone advise on what to look for? Weak spots on the body? Main / most expensive mechanical failures? Looking forward to read your experiences. Thanks in advance. Jeffrey
Note that I meant a contemporary Ferrari to the '80s Rolls you want, not to a modern day Ferrari. In more detail - more money than a 328, less money than a flat 12.
Thank you both. Interesting thread on the restoration. I see I need to do some more "homework" on them. Jeffrey
Just like any F-car... buy the best one you can afford and not a beater that you think you can bring back to life. You'll be upside-down in no time. I lucked-out in finding an ultra-clean '67 Silver Shadow that I take delivery of tomorrow. If there wasn't a local vintage RR-Bentley guru in the area, I might have had second thoughts. Will be tweaking it cosmetically in preparation for next year's RROC annual meet in Orlando. The mechanical aspects, such as hydrolics and water pump have been renewed. Just need to drive it every 7 to 10 days.
A bit late to the party but since I own a couple SZ cars I thought I'd chime in. I have an '87 Spur (long wheelbase) and a '90 Turbo R. I think they are both really great cars. The turbo R is built like a tank and handles great. I guess it depends on how you want to drive. A lot of folks say to look for 20,000 series cars as they have a nice balance of modern conveniences and not too many ECUs. the 1987.5-1989 cars fall into that category. In 1990 they went to an active suspension system and a digital instrument cluster. I drive both quite a bit, these cars do best when they are driven regularly. I drove my Turbo R 400 miles today while shopping for a Ferrari actually. Make sure you have at least some history, look for telltale signs of neglect or deferred maintenance just as you would on any exotic car. ratty wood, beat leather and missing tools/carpets are pretty obvious signs. Look for Green Hydraulic fluid leaks. do the "brake pedal test" to see if the brake pressure accumulators are functioning OK. Listen for bushing noises when driving. Some rust areas Ive seen on SZ cars: rust along the rear below the trunk, or anywhere that water from the wheels hits the body. One particularly bad example I saw once had some serious rust under the rear seat along the back, pretty much invisible unntil the seat was removed. This is not a comprehensive list , just what I've observed. If you look at a 1990 (30k series car) make sure that the active ride system is working right, and check the functioning of all the ECUs. there are quite a few: seats, ride control, AC, cruise, airbag, security and of course bosch FI are all separate boxes! check for oxidized wiring connections and fuses. doing this can save a lot of time fixing things that may not be broken. Definitely have a look at the main electrical feed wires on the left and right side in the engine compartment. these have spade connectors that can oxidize and get really hot and cause a voltage drop. There are plenty of DIY tasks on SZ cars as well as non-dealer resources but it's always true that you should get the best one you can afford. I'm happy to answer any Questions about these. I'm here to learn about Ferrari autos before I buy my first one, and I'm willing to share what I know if it helps.
Thanks all for the input. I'll take my time finding a suitable one. The search is part of the fun right?
No, finding the rusty parts is the fun part. BTW - as long as you want something vintage and a little bit of a project - you can find a Cloud 2 or 3 in need of care in the high 20s right now - which seems like an incredible bargain to me. But then I have not paid to restore one - I have a 1995 Silver Dawn with low one owner miles.
