Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I

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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-levelling 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 feelgood 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.

First registered in November 1971, this particular Shadow was owned for the first five years of its life by a Mr Aylott of Welwyn Garden City and from 1976 until 2001 was owned by the Williams family of South Wales (reputedly the family of the famous Welsh rugby player, JJ Williams). The current titled owner has owned the car for the last 10 years. He states that it has always been well maintained throughout that time and that some £2,000 has recently been spent on a brake overhaul although the bills for this could not be found at the time of cataloguing.

The car has a smart blue leather interior and is said to drive well with MOT and tax until August. It comes with all its original handbooks including the original service book with six stamps up to October 1974 at 29,510 miles. The indicated mileage when the current owner acquired the car was 32,323 – a total which has since only risen to some 35,600 miles although there is insufficient history to warrant this as genuine. A tidy example all round with effectively only three owners from new, it looks a tempting prospect at the guide price suggested today.

PS: This car was driven over 100 miles to the saleroom and reportedly performed beautifully. We have driven it around the yard at Brightwells and can confirm that it goes well with quite startling acceleration for such a big car!