Classic/Antique Car Repair: Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1, rolls royce silver shadow, brake pumps

Question
Driving my Rolls Royce this afternoon, i braked and the pedal went to the floor the warning lights came on and there was virtually no braking effort i have never had any problems like this before, can you help please
Many thanks

Answer
This only happens after many warnings that the car has been giving have been missed by your service provider, so fire him. or ignored by you dangerous with such a massively heavy car. Well lets begin by first preparing you for a financial shock. the braking system on your auto has lost the ability to build sufficient hydraulic pressure to effectively stop your car. two separate hydraulic systems have failed. which is a marvel of neglect. it starts with the two brake pumps that are mounted atop the engine and driven by the engine's cam. these must be able to independently supply approximately 3,600 psi pressure each to the two nitrogen Spheres mounted on the lower portion of the engine accessible from beneath the auto from there if the rest of the system is sound and not leaking the braking fluid you (should) be in good shape, or as you Brits say spot on. if you are in need of a knowledgeable fellow on your side of the pond let me know I have a very good friend there that is the bomb with Rollers. there is much more to this system but this is the area where most of the problems exist on Rolls and Bentley products with the Citroen Licensed braking system. Cheers Mate JM