There is still only one unquestionable, top-of-the-line, world’s finest, maximum luxury motorcar, and that’s Rolls-Royce. Other automakers have tried to build ultra-luxury machines to challenge the current wearer of the crown, but as the saying goes, when you come at the king, you’d best not miss. To date, nobody has built a better Rolls-Royce than the company that was founded with only one goal: build the finest motorcar in the world.

Is there something special about a Rolls-Royce? You better believe there is. It’s why they have the most loyal clientele in the world. It’s why they still do so much hand work on the cars. It’s why people who can have anything they want choose motorcars wearing the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament. A Rolls-Royce is more than simply luxury features and fragrant leather, there’s a different approach to engineering, an analysis of every single component not just to make it better, but to make it feel superior. Sometimes it’s intangible, but when all the parts work as a whole, the driver of a Rolls-Royce will always feel special and climbing into a lesser vehicle, regardless of price, is often disappointing.

I say all this not because it’s hype, but because it’s true. When this lovely 1989 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur arrived, I mistakenly dismissed it as a large luxury sedan like any other. Pretty, nicely finished, full of old world features, but nothing earth-shattering. Then I drove it…

The experience is truly like no other. Yes, it steers and stops and accelerates like a car, but the way it goes about its business is exactly why people own Rolls-Royce motorcars. The steering is sublimely detached from the imperfections of the real world, as if you’re holding on to a leather-wrapped joystick for a computer simulation. Sure, some road “feel” is present so you can tell what the front tires are doing, but there are no rude kick-backs when you hit a large bump, no shimmy as you traverse truck ruts on the highway. Similarly, the brakes use a proprietary pressure system to make them not only effective, but consistent and linear in a way that few others can master. And the ride is sublime; in frost-heaved Cleveland, Ohio, this big sedan cruises across broken pavement like a hovercraft and even the largest bumps are unable to disturb this unflappable English servant.

So yes, it’s special.

Even more remarkable is that you can own this exquisite piece of British luxury engineering for the price of a two-year-old Honda.

Having spent a majority of its life down south, this handsome Silver Spur is extremely clean. The conservative bodywork is unmarked and shows no signs of rust or rot and the doors open and close with a precision that would justify its original $180,000 sticker price. In fact, the hood and trunk feel the same way, as if every hinge was lined with silk, and the heavy, solid feeling of every component speaks to the quality materials within. The paint, which is unexcitingly called Ivory, has a luster and gloss that genuinely reflects the fact that it was hand-rubbed and buffed by denizens of the Crewe factory who have been doing this very thing for decades. There are a few signs of use, of course, but it’s very clear that someone has treated this Rolls-Royce very, very well.

Part of the Rolls-Royce image is chrome, and a lot of it. The famous radiator shell is called “German Silver,” which is another name for high-grade stainless steel, and it’s beautifully preserved and polishes up almost like new. The other shiny parts on the car are chrome plated and it was show-quality plating when it was new, so it’s holding up beautifully. There’s a heaviness to things like the door handles that’s hard to quantify, but somehow they just feel more substantial. The bumper trim, including the rubber parts, is in excellent condition with no accident damage or UV deterioration and the padded roof, which gives this car a formal look, is original and excellent with no signs of delamination or rust underneath. You will also note that this car carries the more desirable European-style headlights, which give the car a much more sophisticated look than the US-spec system.

But it’s the interior that truly makes any Rolls-Royce special. The combination of spaciousness, materials, and hand craftsmanship has not been duplicated anywhere else at any price, and to be able to live like this for so little money seems almost like a miracle. Tan hides with white piping are elegant and tasteful in the Ivory car, and the world-famous Connolly leather feels (and smells) delightful. There are some light scuff marks on the driver’s outer seat bolster, which shouldn’t be a surprise, but the rest of the interior is almost like new, a testament to the quality materials and expert care it has received. Plush Wilton wool carpets with doubly-plush sheepskin floor mats make you ashamed to wear your shoes in the car and everything that looks like wood IS wood, a combination of burled walnut and exotic African hardwoods. There are very few plastic pieces, with most of the switchgear using chrome-plated metal that again, feels substantial and permanent. For 1989, every luxury feature you could want is standard equipment: automatic climate control, power windows, locks, seats, and mirrors, cruise control, and even delightful little features you’d never thought you’d need, including a button that transforms the fuel level gauge into an oil level gauge. The steering wheel is thin and plain, speaking to both the understatement of the designers and the era in which it was built, and you can guide all 6000 pounds of Silver Spur with no more than a fingertip. The only deviation from original specifications is a newer Alpine AM/FM/CD stereo head unit neatly integrated into the center stack and fully integrated with the power antenna out back.

Accommodations are expansive, front and rear. Regardless of how tall you are, you will be able to get comfortable in this car. The front seats are almost infinitely adjustable and this is the long-wheelbase Silver Spur, so you’ve probably only seen rear seat leg room like this in a limousine. Drop-down tray tables are beautifully crafted but probably more for show than function, but there are plenty of thoughtful touches, ranging from the pockets in the backs of the front seats to the center armrest which obviously once held a built-in cellular phone (recall that in 1989, such a thing was cutting-edge tech). The wool headliner is beautifully crafted with just some very light discoloration at the edges and the leather coverings over the third brake light and rear seat belt retractors have shrunken a bit. The trunk is beautifully appointed using the same materials, and includes the original tools, jack, and spare tire, as well as two bottles of Castrol mineral oil for the suspension, still stored in their own compartment. And I believe Rolls-Royce is the only automaker to include a battery shut-off switch as standard equipment.

Rolls-Royce has been using the “six-and-three-quarter” liter OHV V8 engine for decades, but why change a good thing? Known for effortless torque and vibration-free operation, it’s an attentive servant, competent under all circumstances, and never a bother. It was state-of-the-art for 1989, featuring Bosch fuel injection, an electronic ignition system, and redundant systems to ensure reliability. The big V8 is a tight fit, even in the massive engine bay, but you can see that it was designed to look as good as it runs. The intervening decades have proven the engine’s durability and reliability, and you will be pleased to note that this car comes with a huge service history with receipts and documentation, so it remains in first-class mechanical condition. It starts quickly and easily thanks to the fuel injection, and while it is not going to win many drag races, it moves this enormous car without apparent effort. Pushing the throttle results in exactly the same amount of power every time, and it never strains itself no matter how hard you push. There’s a hushed burble from the original exhaust system, very proper and not at all boisterous, and from within it’s so silent that they should have included a rev counter just so you can be sure it’s still running.

The transmission, even though Rolls-Royce doesn’t want you to know it, is a General Motors TH400 3-speed automatic. The good news is that this is still the most durable and reliable automatic transmission ever built, and Rolls-Royce has added electronic controls for the shift selector to ensure that there’s no mechanical unpleasantness reaching your palm. It clicks through the gears completely unobtrusively, again emphasizing smoothness over all else. Tall 3.08 gears in the independent rear end mean that overdrive is completely unnecessary. A glance underneath also reveals that this car has always lived in a warm climate and there’s more remarkable Rolls-Royce engineering, ranging from the front control arms that are nearly two feet long to the complex little cradle that supports the rear end housing. Four-wheel disc brakes, automatic leveling air suspension, and enormous sway bars at both ends give it the kind of competence that you’d never expect from a 6000-pound vehicle. Original steel wheels wear color-matched hubcaps and big 235/70/15 whitewall radials—Avon Turbosteels, of course.

The Rolls-Royce experience is different, and you’ll know it from the moment you slide behind the wheel. I will also say that no other car I’ve driven has attracted this much attention: not Ferraris, not big Full Classics, not boisterous muscle cars. EVERYONE recognizes that this is an important car. What they don’t recognize is that it’s available for pennies on the dollar and still delivers the kind of peerless luxury experience—even after 30 years—that no other manufacturer has ever been able to match. I can think of no greater automotive achievement available for less money than this.