Lot 031: 1976 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SHADOW

Launched in 1965, the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was a bold departure for the Crewe company. Their first monocoque design, it also benefited from olio-pneumatic rear suspension, power disc brakes and GM's smooth 400 series automatic gearbox. Such 'new technology' did not encroach on the luxurious interior with its sumptuous leather hides, rich wood veneers and deep lambswool carpets. Performance from the smooth 6230cc V8 engine (upgraded to 6750cc in 1970) was assured, the car wafting forward on a seemingly unstoppable wave of torque. Still immensely cosseting to drive, Shadows offer a genuinely different ownership experience to their mass made peers. Finished in Cardinal Red with Magnolia leather upholstery, this particular example is described by the vendor as being in "good" condition with regard to its 6750cc engine, three-speed automatic transmission, electrical equipment, interior trim, chassis, bodywork, paintwork and wheels / tyres. Dating from the penultimate year of Shadow I production, 'OCS 33R' is said to have entered the current ownership only after a careful search. Benefiting from a £1,500 brake overhaul and replacement ignition since then, it has apparently covered just 90,000 miles from new. Still an imposing motor car some thirty-one years after it first took to the road, this late Shadow I is offered for sale with MOT certificate valid until May 2007 and road tax valid until April 2007.