1985 Rolls-Royce Corniche

It’s hard to overestimate the impact a Corniche Convertible still has on the motoring populace, but when this machine was rolling around the capital in the mid-1980s, it likely would have stopped traffic. 

The first owner of this exquisite slice of luxury motoring purchased it from Lex Mead of Maidenhead on 5 March 1985 for a whopping £67,386.47 (almost £275k today), and that was after he’d somehow managed to negotiate a 15% discount. We know this as we have that original bill of sale and even the car’s order form in its comprehensive history file. In an era when you could buy a new V12 Jaguar XJ-S for £33,400, this Rolls-Royce represented a very significant investment. So much so, that for a while it was the world’s most expensive car.

The preserve of captains of industry, world leaders and celebrities alike, the Corniche was expensive for a very good reason: it was supremely well made. ‘That’ll do’ has never been enough for Rolls-Royce, but the Corniche comes from the era when mass production was still considered a dirty term. Everywhere you look or lay your hands, this machine greets you with the best materials and engineering money could buy. The result is a motorcar that carried a recommended agreed insurance value – from Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club expert Allan Fogg in September 2020 – of £82,500.

This Corniche is thought to be one of just two Convertibles offered in the near unique colourway of Ivory (code 9510228) over a Dark Brown (code VM 890) interior. The imposing appeal of this 2.5-ton juggernaut has seemingly avoided being diminished by its near forty years spent on UK roads – credit for this going to its handful of former keepers. Panel gaps still look as precise as those Mulliner master craftsmen would have expected, with the paint finish equally appearing bright, deep and highly reflective.

The dealer plates from Jack Barclay are a nice touch too, and not just for show either, as the car was owned and sold by them in the past, returning for servicing several times during the 1980s and 1990s. The Monaco crest apparently also carries significance, as the vendor (plus a former keeper) mentions that the car has made trips along the routes of its namesake, visiting the famous principality several times.

Although remaining in very fine order, we did spot a few little bits of patina to remind us we’re looking at a four-decade-old machine. The car appears to have had some remedial paintwork in the past, and there are some minor marks to nearside of the panel above the windscreen (roof rail). The latter is only visible when the top has been lowered and should be easy to touch up. The hood itself and the brightwork throughout still look first rate.

There’s a reason why Rolls-Royce are often cited as makers of the world’s best cars. Its machines offer a level of opulence and comfort that seems almost impossible. The vendor reports that driving this forty-year-old Corniche to the south of France proves no more taxing than a jaunt to the local country house and we can well believe him. The comfort on offer here seems to make even some modern machines seem agricultural by comparison. There are even ‘cocktail requisites’ in the front door cards – a ticked option from new – those were the days…

An invoice in the history file illustrates that the leather was reconnolised back in 2020, when a new hood was also added by Classic & Sports Car Centre, Malton to the tune of £7570. As one would imagine, both hide and hood still appear in excellent shape. The only niggle we spotted in here were a few scuffs to the nearside sun visor and scratches to its accompanying mirror.

The wood veneer throughout retains a near untarnished glow of quality. There’s some very mild patina to the steering wheel leather, which merely serves to remind you that this car has some age. The pile underfoot, spread throughout this vast machine, looks every inch as deep and cossetting as you’d expect. The cavernous boot, equally trimmed of course, contains spares including a nearside reversing light lens, bulbs and an extremely hard to source, and apparently working, Blaupunkt Casablanca stereo – the same as the unit fitted, though the car was supplied new with a Toronto.

A peek underneath the carpet reveals the car’s battery, CTEK trickle charger and a CD changer with a tool kit and fire extinguisher too. If more proof of the vendor’s enthusiast credentials were needed – other than the various club member stickers in the windscreen – it’s surely provided by the stack of Spirit & Speed (R-R & Bentley enthusiast) magazines also in the rear.

Considering its regular continental jaunts and vast service history – charting plenty of care in the past four years under its current keeper – the reliability of this famously complicated machine likely won’t be called into question.

The excellent engine bay certainly appears clean and dry, with the correct warning labels covering the hydraulic, ignition and cooling systems. There’s also a nice ancestral service sticker from dealer P&A Wood of Essex. We did also spot a few small patches of peeling paint on the underside of the bonnet (offside front), but apart from this small imperfection, the paintwork and general condition under the bonnet appears excellent. 

From what we could make out of the underside proper, it seems well protected and solid, with no obvious signs of any corrosion, beyond the usual patches of surface tarnish here and there. 

Any old luxury car, no matter the maker, is only as good as its former keepers. The level of history accompanying this Corniche certainly seems reassuring in that regard, with substantial and regular bills going back decades. There are some well-known names on the invoices too, including Colbrook, Flying Spares, Introcar and James Black Restorations. 

That’s before even taking into account this car’s service stamps, which show early care from main dealers, including the aforementioned Jack Barclay and P&A Wood as well as Mann Egerton, with specialist servicing subsequently. There’s also a whole host of old MoTs to examine, but we’re more interested in the latest invoices, the abridged highlights of which are as follows.

• July 2023 – substantial service at Colbrook including transmission oil and curing a steering leak - £1297.06. 
• June 2022 – wiper motor and relays changed by Colbrook alongside work to the central locking system relays and solenoids - £1509.47. 
• March 2022 – remedial paintwork carried out by One Stop Motorist Centre, St Ives - £3324. 
• October 2021 – service at Colbrook - £425.83, more work from August of 2021, also at Colbrook, to cure a coolant leak and add a missing offside window tensioner - £1408.15.
• September 2020 – new hubcaps from Flying Spares - £299.12.
• June 2021 – Colbrook tasked with curing various minor ills from the cruise control to a leaking nearside front brake - £506.93.
• December 2020 – Colbrook carried out a dent repair and repaint, plus wheel arch seal - £4465.21. At the same time also cutting out rear corrosion (under the bumper) and welding in new metal and painting, along with some minor jobs - £3248.99.
• October 2020 – replacement of various bushes and couplings at Colbrook including the front engine mount, viscous fan coupling, as well as the removal of the old alarm system and several other jobs and a full service - £6452.42.
• March-April 2019 – four new Avon tyres purchased, along with two-wheel rims, from Longstone Tyres - £1223.64.
• March 2019 – stainless-steel exhaust system purchased “6-box S/S” from PD Gough and Company Limited - £1884.
• March 2019 – substantial service including LHM fluid and belts carried out by IntroCar Limited, London - £242.99.

Further back in the file, we come across numerous trips to James Black Restorations in Antrim, Northern Ireland. There are far too many invoices to list here, but the point is that they all seem to show plenty of on-going care.

There are surely very few more, or even equally, appealing classic convertibles out there to join this Rolls-Royce. If you’re fortunate enough to be in the position to potentially own this one, we’ll let the vendor’s summary be the last word. “Full history and in virtually concours condition. Current MoT. No known faults. No expense has been spared. Has three-inch thick file of invoices, plus book pack and the car will come with the plate.”

We estimate that this fine example of a Corniche will sell for £52,000-£60,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.