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Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I

Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I

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Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow I
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow I
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow IRolls-Royce Silver Shadow I
Lot number 96
Hammer value £5,300
Description Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I
Registration XPF 657S
Year 1977
Colour Willow Gold
Engine size 6,750 cc
Chassis No. SRH 26600
Engine No. 26600

You know the world has gone mad when one of the finest products ever made on these shores, a leather, walnut and lambskin lined sanctuary, propelled by a silent giant and hand assembled by the most meticulous craftsmen on the planet, that once cost as much as a row of terraced houses, is suddenly available to any Tom, Dick or Harry for a fraction of the price of even the flimsiest tin and plastic shopping car.

Launched in 1965, the Silver Shadow was not only the first 'modern' Rolls-Royce with a monocoque body, aluminium doors, boot and bonnet and no separate chassis, it was also the closest thing yet to a stately home on wheels.

Squat and purposeful on the outside but decadently 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.

This Willow Gold example was purchased by its first owner in January 1977 making it a very late Shadow I. Delivered new to a Mr Parr it was ordered with Beige Connolly leather upholstery and a dark brown Everflex roof - a very attractive combination. Many old MOTs confirm the accumulation of mileage to the current c.60,000, while the book shows that it has been serviced 10 times, the last undertaken just a handful of miles ago when new tyres were also fitted all round, the carburettors overhauled, new headlamps fitted and the entire hydraulic system overhauled at a cost of over £3,000.

Currently taxed and due to have a fresh MOT in time for the sale, this monument to past glories is being offered here from a deceased estate and looks absurdly good value at the paltry guide price suggested.

There is no way that these magnificent machines can stay at this humble level for much longer and this low mileage aristocrat deserves a new owner who can truly appreciate its manifold qualities.

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