Which Rolls-Royce model was the first in the SZ series?

The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit was the first model in the SZ series.

Rolls-Royce introduced the Silver Spirit in 1980 as the starting point for a new generation of cars. “SZ” was an internal platform designation used for a broad family of Rolls-Royce and Bentley models that replaced the earlier SY-based cars, including the Silver Shadow and Silver Wraith. The Silver Spirit therefore began the SZ era, rather than being a later member of it.

The Silver Spirit used a 6.75-litre V8 and a three-speed GM THM400 automatic transmission at launch. Its design and engineering also provided the basis for related models such as the long-wheelbase Silver Spur, Silver Dawn, Flying Spur and several limousine variants. Bentley used the same underlying architecture for models including the Mulsanne and Eight.

A common mix-up is to treat the Silver Spur as the first SZ model because it debuted alongside the Spirit and shared its mechanical package. The Silver Spur, however, was the long-wheelbase derivative; the Silver Spirit was the standard-wheelbase model that inaugurated the series. Production of the Silver Spirit itself continued until 1997.