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 January 1974, this Shadow I has only covered 75,200 miles in its 41 years to date and comes with a good service history to show regular maintenance including five stamps in the original service book to 32,500 miles in June 1983 plus many invoices and hand-written notes documenting subsequent upkeep.

The 5th owner kept the car for 25 years (1981 – 2006) at which point it was acquired by the mechanic who had maintained it during that time. He began to recommission the car, which had been little used in recent years, but then unfortunately fell ill. The vendor, a friend and neighbour of the mechanic and a member of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club, fell in love with the car when he was asked to drive it to a place of storage and ended up buying it in 2012.

He completed the recommissioning process started by his friend (including a full service, a brake overhaul and a new ¾ exhaust system) and has been using the car regularly ever since, attending shows, taking friends on days out and also using it to tour venues around West Wales doing poetry readings – hence the car’s nickname, ‘The Poetry Rolls’! Something of a celebrity on social media and also featured on Radio Wales, the Shadow has also appeared in Classic Car Weekly when it was loaned to columnist Jon Bentley (of ‘Gadget Show’ fame) who was much impressed by its “gutsy” performance.

Looking most dignified in Silver Mink with a Dark Blue leather interior and nicely patinated throughout, the car has had much money spent to make it a reliable daily driver but would benefit from ongoing cosmetic and detail improvement from an enthusiast owner. We are advised that some minor electrical issues also need to be sorted including the power feed to the rear windows (which have good motors) and to some of the minor instruments.

MOTd until April 2016 and running and driving well, this is a nice, honest, low mileage Shadow that can be enjoyed as it is and gradually improved over time. It comes with the aforementioned service history, original handbook and maintenance manual, and an instruction pamphlet for the original Radiomobile car radio. Being offered here at a very modest guide price, it should leave plenty of spare change for the remedial works now required.