Rolls-Royce Corniche

History

Launched in 1971 as Rolls-Royce's coupe version of the Silver Shadow, the Corniche was a superior car to the saloon on which it was based. With fabulously elegant coachwork designed by Bill Allen, each and every one was handbuilt by Mulliner Park Ward in a necessarily lengthy process that took all of 20 weeks and resulted in a price some 50% higher than the standard Silver Shadow.

Only the very finest materials were used including Wilton carpeting, Connolly hide and the best burr walnut veneers, giving these cars a level of quality and glamour that surpassed that of the saloons. Engine power also went up by 10% increasing the top speed to over 120mph with acceleration to match. Tweaks to the suspension and steering geometry gave a sportier ride and a special low-loss exhaust, new dashboard and new alloy wheels were also adopted.

The Corniche was progressively developed over time, gaining features like split-level air conditioning, rack-and-pinion steering, Bosch fuel injection and self-levelling rear suspension. Reassuringly exclusive, only 1,108 coupes were made before production ceased at the end of 1981, though a convertible version continued to be made as the flagship model in the Rolls-Royce range until 1996.

First registered in March 1974, this car was reputedly first owned by the famous Harrods department store and was originally painted green and gold. In 2001 it was treated to a full bare metal respray by a previous owner and is now in a deep Peacock Blue. There is said to be no rust anywhere, as the sills and wheel arches were properly treated when the car was painted.

The leather interior has also been recently retrimmed and all the interior woodwork re-lacquered. The car has just had a full 24,000 mile service together with a full overhaul of the brakes. The wheels have also been bead blasted and painted prior to fitting with new tyres. The car is said to drive very well indeed with smooth gear changes and excellent performance.

There are 4 service books with the car tracking the service history from 1974 right the way up to 1998, showing over 30 services. There are no service stamps from 1998 to 2006, but the MOTs for those years show that the car only covered an additional 8,000 miles in that period. In total the car is said to have covered 155,000 miles. The car comes with all its original handbooks, a full tool kit and a spare set of bulbs. It is currently MOTd until December 2007.