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Rolls-Royce Shadow 1

Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1
Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1
Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1
Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1Rolls-Royce Shadow 1
Lot number 103
Hammer value £5,900
Description Rolls-Royce Shadow 1
Registration YJH 922K
Year 1972
Colour Grey
Engine size 6,750 cc
Chassis No. SRH12394
Engine No. 12394

Launched in 1965, the Silver Shadow was the first 'modern' Rolls-Royce with a monocoque body, aluminium doors, boot and bonnet and no separate chassis. Other innovations included a fully hydraulic braking system, based on Citroen patents that included four wheel discs, twin circuits and rear self-leveling suspension.

Squat and purposeful on the outside but still luxurious on the inside, it was perfectly timed to attract the nouveau gentry of the Swinging Sixties who were more likely to have made their money from business, pop or fashion than inheriting it from the ancestors.

Even today, to slip behind the wheel of a well kept Shadow is to enter a different world where every journey is an occasion and the feel-good factor is off the scale. Beautifully crafted, technically advanced and good to drive, it sold like no Rolls-Royce before or since with 37,000 examples rolling from the Crewe production line before it was replaced by the Silver Spirit in 1980.

Over 2,000 improvements were made along the way, the most important being the introduction of the 6,750cc engine and GM three-speed box in 1970, radial tyres in 1972 and the launch of the Shadow II in 1977, though this rather lost the looks of the earlier car with chunky rubber bumpers in place of the more elegant chrome items.

Offered from a deceased estate, this 1972 example was purchased by the vendor in 2008, fulfilling a long-held ambition to become a Rolls-Royce owner. With an indicated 50,000 on the clock (although there is insufficient documentary evidence to confirm this), it has had 4 previous owners, being supplied new to a Buckingham-based company who specified it in Shell Grey with Black VM8500 Connolly hide.

Passing to its previous owner in 2002, bills on file show that Hillier-Hill undertook a thorough servicing and subsequent invoices in the current ownership show that a £3,500 brake overhaul took place in 2010 which included rear calipers, discs and hoses etc. 

Complete with the original hand book, it is MOTd until February 2014 and appears to have been very well cared for. Fitted with a working 8-track stereo, a selection of music is included, along with a very smart branded Rolls-Royce cleaning case. Well cared for Shadow 1s are now thin on the ground and with prices moving up of late, this could well be a shrewd time to jump in and enjoy some luxury motoring at modest cost.
 

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