Rolls-Royce is marking the end of 55 years of manufacturing at Crewe in the English Midlands with a ‘last of line’ series of the Silver Seraph.

“This unique series will celebrate the beginning of the end of the Crewe era for the marque and embodies all that is best about car making as practiced at Bentley Motors,” says a rather tongue-in-cheek statement from the Volkswagen-owned company which is scheduled to hand the rights to the Rolls-Royce marque over to BMW at the end of 2002.

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There have been reports that the firm is already concentrating most of its marketing efforts on the Bentley models, even though it has the rights to sell Rolls-Royce for another 18 months. The company is also reportedly keeping a tight grip on its customer list, forcing BMW to start from scratch.


BMW will make a completely new range of German-designed Rolls-Royce cars in a new factory in the south of England while VW takes Bentley in a new direction with a new line-up built in the existing factory at Crewe. U.S. spy photographer Brenda Priddy this week published photos of a disguised V12-engined engineering mule on test in the desert.








Last of line series of Crewe built
Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph
The end-of-line Silver Seraph costs $US229,990 in the U.S.;with all scheduled services for three years or 30,000 miles included.


Distinguishing features include the famous Spirit of Ecstasy ‘flying lady’ mascot reproduced on the wheel centre caps and badges finished in red, as last seen on pre-1933 Rolls-Royces.


There’s also a badge, set against a British Union flag, reading: “Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Crewe, England.”


Additional items include a special interior wood finish and contrast piping for the leather seats while duo-tone paint, in the style of the 1950s-era Silver Cloud I, the first Rolls-Royce model to be both Crewe engineered and built, is optional at no charge.






To view related research reports, please follow the links below:-


The world’s car manufacturers: A financial and operating review


Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars Corporate Profile


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