Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

Description

Citroën had the 2CV for students, Opel had the Rekord for the middle classes and Rolls-Royce had the Silver Shadow for the well-heeled. Hardly any other luxury car achieved the level of recognition of the Silver Shadow, whose incomparable front end is still considered by many to be the Rolls-Royce par excellence.

This gem is very well maintained in its original sheet metal and paintwork and is driven regularly in good weather. The car was inspected as a veteran at the end of 2022 and comes with a major service including brakes, brake lines and revised nitrogen balls. The condition is used but very well maintained for a 55-year-old sedan with original original equipment.

Sales price: 35'500 CHF

Model history

In the course of its more than one hundred-year history, Rolls-Royce from Crewe in the UK has built a series of luxurious saloons. However, hardly any of them achieved the level of fame of the Silver Shadow, whose incomparable front end is still considered by many to be the Rolls-Royce par excellence.

The finest leather upholstery, fine burl wood and a powerful engine whose performance was only rated as „adequate“ for a long time - these are some of the things that are typical of Rolls-Royce. What the name does not stand for, however, are labels such as modern or pioneering. While other brands were constantly reinventing the car within limits, Rolls-Royce insisted on design principles that were reminiscent of the early days of the automobile. Right up until the 1960s, the bodies rested on mighty frames - something that any other manufacturer would have been accused of being pretentious.

But then came the Silver Shadow and brought with it some modern features. Instead of once again bolting a sheet metal body to an underlying frame, the British built a self-supporting body - something that an Opel Kadett and a Mercedes both had. Under the bodywork, the upgrade took the form of independent suspension, disc brakes and hydro-pneumatic level control.

The Silver Shadow had a simple and somewhat timeless appearance. The front, however, was extraordinarily striking: two twin headlights, in the middle the artwork of the radiator grille - and on it „Emily“, the company's traditional radiator figure, which officially bears the name „Spirit of Ecstasy“.

The Silver Shadow became a successful model for Rolls-Royce. After the introduction of the saloon, a two-door version followed in 1966 and a convertible was also offered. These two versions were given their own name in 1971 and were henceforth known as the Corniche. In the meantime, additional space had been created in the rear seat in 1969: a version with a wheelbase extended by ten centimetres was now also available.

By the end of production in 1980, the model series had produced a total of around 29,000 units - roughly the same number of new Golfs that Volkswagen sold in Germany alone every month in the good times. For Rolls-Royce, however, such figures were almost unbelievable: although founded in 1904, the luxury company only completed its 100,000th car in 1985.