1988 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit 2 door Saloon with coachwork by Hooper & Co

It might sound silly, but to some people a normal Rolls-Royce or Bentley is not good enough for them. These people need something special. Two British Coachbuilders were happy to help you out with your Rolls-Royce and Bentley problems: Hooper Coachbuilders of London and Robert Jankel Design (Le Marquis). Hooper Coachbuilders had various coach built creations up their sleeve, using the many years of experience with converting Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Daimlers for more than 70 years. One of their simpler yet very attractive options for the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit and Bentley Turbo R, Eight and Mulsanne, was converting them into a two-door coupe version. The short wheel base version of the Bentley or Rolls-Royce were used. By deleting the rear door and stretching the front doors a completely new car was created. Very often a smaller so-called discrete rear window was added. Hooper options also included new a front bumper with fog lights, side skirts and a new rear bumper. Also, the windscreen wipers, bumpers and side mirrors were "colour co-ordinated", in other words painted in the car's colour. The interior was also upgraded (as if the "standard" interior wasn't good enough) with superb leather finishes,

We are informed by the vendor that this Hooper cut leviathan doesn't show its identity easily. 'You have to get up close. That's part of the appeal - it's discreet.' This car wasn't built down to cost it was built to somebody's specification, make no mistake 2 door Silver Spirits moved in the highest society circles when they were new. Low mileage plus conscientious care over the years have certainly paid dividends and the vendor informs us that the mileage of just 45,000 miles is genuine and is supported by previous MoTs and stamps in both service books. We are also informed that just under £8,000 has been spent by the current owner in the hands of a marque specialist.

As such nothing is amiss with the driving experience, it's the expected and usual wafty and cosseting silky ride, where the driver provides the very minimum of effort. The genteel nature is only disturbed by the sharp brakes and kick down, prompting the otherwise imperceptible automatic gear changes to poke the lazy V8 into some very un-Rolls-Royce like behaviour. The gloss Black paint shows the straight body work off to good effect, the panel gaps are typically excellent for a Rolls-Royce of this era, and the doors shut with a reassuring thunk. The timber woodwork of both dash and doors is in superb fettle and contrast beautifully against the tan interior leather. £1,200 has been spent on interior maintenance and it shows, all seat faces and seat edges are reported to be in excellent condition throughout.

To put the full weight of your wallet behind this car when new would have indicated a deep love of cars. Sold here today with an MoT until September 2015 and taxed until March 2015, this car can be bought for a mere fraction of its original cost. But beware, you may find yourself driving this very rare Rolls to a classic car show, merely to stand and yawn at the line of standard four-door saloons on show.