Unveiled in March 1998 at the Geneva Motor Show, the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph was presented to the world as the brand’s offering for the new millennium: a properly modern ultra-luxury saloon for the world’s elite, where an S-Class would prove much too mundane.
A design 10 years in the making, the Silver Seraph sported a body 65% stiffer than its predecessor, the Silver Spur / Spirit, as well as active suspension and a myriad of technological creature comforts. While nearly identical to its sister ship, the Bentley Arnage, the Silver Seraph sported a smooth BMW 5.4-litre V12 powerplant —the same you would find in an 850ci—, versus the Bentley’s tested-and-true 6.75-litre.
The driving experience, however, makes no compromises on its essential Rolls-Royce essence: an abundance of hand-picked leather and wood, painstaking assembly by hand at Crewe, effortless acceleration, and near-complete cabin silence.
Upon the sale of the Rolls-Royce brand in the early 2000’s, the Silver Seraph was discontinued and replaced with the bolder Phantom as its top-of-the-line model, effectively ending an era at the brand.
This particular Silver Seraph, one of 255 examples built in the year 2000 and only 1,013 LHD examples overall, was delivered new in Ontario, Canada, and it has had two previous owners. Presented beautifully and pinstriped by hand, it has covered just under 37,000 kilometres since new.