1977 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II

Finished in the wonderfully of-the-period palette of Walnut with Gold pinstripes, a Cream Everflex roof, and a Beige leather interior, ‘OAS 302R’ started life with Lord Stokes, a man perhaps known best for being the chairman of British Leyland during a large part of its most turbulent decade.

With the highly appropriate family motto of “Speed Well”, Lord Stokes’ 1977 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II, for this, his company car, was even fitted with the Rolls-Royce Handling Package.

Interestingly, he was angling for a Corniche Convertible but got knocked back to ‘only’ a Silver Shadow II.

The poor love.

But don’t feel too sorry for him because, at a time “when Britain was at war with the unions and men standing around braziers held the car industry hostage”, he still found to time to write a testy note (on British Leyland headed paper, no less…) to complain that a fault with his Shadow’s air-conditioning system hadn’t been attended to during its last service, a service that had been, of course, carried out by the Mulliner Park Ward Division in London.

The fault? It was – and you can practically hear the whine in his voice as he dictated the note to his secretary as the indignity of the situation became too much for him – “tiresomely noisy.”

Those with a sense of irony may remember the same Lord Stokes giving a speech in 1970 in which he said: “‘I do not believe that all our stoppages of work result from genuine grievances.”

(If this has piqued your interest in learning more about what was happening at BL in the seventies, we can recommend the following account: https://www.aronline.co.uk/history/british-leyland-grand-illusion-part-one-export-die/)

But enough about “one of the men with very thick glasses who ran Britain at the time” as the seller so brilliantly puts it.

As a child of the seventies the brown and cream colour scheme appealed to our vendor, as did the car’s engine: “I have always loved the sound of the 6750cc pushrod V8, it is like music to me. I never dreamed I could own one.”

But he did – and even better, he bought it in 2017 to celebrate achieving his childhood dream of working for Jaguar Land Rover.

He used it to commute to work from his home near Bath occasionally, rolling majestically along the Fosse Way: “The view from the driver’s seat at the end of the day with the sun shining on the burr walnut dashboard is one of the finest sights in England.”

He took the old girl to the opera at Iford too, and Babington House Country Club – and mindful of the need to keep her grounded, he sometimes wafted through his local McDonalds Drive Thru, too.

However, a change of job and a move to the United States means he now isn’t able to use it as much as he would like.

Please read on for more details of this fascinating example of an iconic seventies’ luxury saloon.

The combination of Walnut paintwork, Gold pinstripes, extensive chromework, and a Cream Everflex roof, which was replaced in 2021 and is still in excellent order, lend the Silver Shadow an understated air that’s perfectly in keeping with its first role.

Still stately and elegant today, it sits well with a nice stance, something the huge chrome-and-walnut hubcaps and whitewall tyres contribute to.

The wheels themselves are in good order with no obvious damage, and the tyres are matching Vitour Galaxy R1s on all four corners. All have good tread.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

The rear lamp lenses are all by Lucas, and all are bright and colourful and free of damage. The front indicator units are from the same firm, as are the outer sealed beam units and the reflectors along the sides. Again, all are in good order with no chips, cracks, or other damage.

The gold Spirit of Ecstasy has developed a beautiful patina thanks to decades of being lovingly polished, and the iconic radiator grille still runs straight and true.

The badges are also free of fading and damage, and they sit against very good panels that are largely absent the myriad dents, scuffs, and dinks most Shadows will have accumulated over the years.

As for flaws, the offside front wing has a chip, a scratch and a bubble, while the driver’s door has a couple of chips plus some bubbling along its top edge. The offside rear door is also bubbling in the same place, the offside rear wing has a chip, and the paint in this side looks a bit flat with signs it’s been refreshed over the years.

The nearside rear wing has a couple of areas of rust too, and the nearside rear door has some chips. The front passenger door also has a few rust spots above the chrome trim, chips long the top edge, and three dents in the middle.

The windscreen and rear window both appear to have been resealed with mastic, which is evident along some edges. The paint is also cracked at the base of the nearside A-pillar. Finally, the boot lid doesn’t fit as neatly as it might, but then the new rubber seal may not have settled in yet.

The nomenclature used to describe the interior is a curious blend of the commonplace and the exotic: The main colour is simply called ‘Beige’, while the Ambla headlining, a high-quality vinyl, is described in slightly more esoteric terms as ‘Light Fawn’. They must have had a hefty liquid lunch before deciding on the name of the carpets though, before the crazy devils settled on ‘Cumberland Stone’.

(Rumours that a late-night session with a bottle of absinthe led them to suggest Elephant’s Breath to their old college mates at Farrow & Ball remain unsubstantiated.)

Joking aside, the cabin is every bit as elegant and well-finished as the coachwork; it’s a lovely place to be, whether you are sitting in the back or driving the car yourself.

The front seats are vast and might seem flat, but they actually provide better lateral support than you might suppose. The driver’s controls are as elegant as they are satisfying to operate, and the driver and front-seat passenger have access to height-adjustable armrests on the doors in addition to fold-down armrests on the inner edge of their seats.

Those in the rear get individual seats, reading lamps, stout leather handholds, walnut-framed mirrors, and very good legroom.

The Ambla headlining is clean, taut, and free of damage, thereby fulfilling all that could be reasonably asked of it. 

Nice touches include proper chrome ashtrays and lighters, and the same Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio-cassette player the factory fitted almost fifty years ago. It also fitted leather-lined slots between the front seats to hold the cassette tapes he preferred over 8-track cartridges – on the condition they could change the specification without raising the price: The rich don’t get rich by paying for the sort of stuff the rest of us have to. 

(He also got a 17½% discount on the price; try that at your local Rolls-Royce dealer now and see what they say…)

As for flaws and blemishes, the leather is showing its age with colour loss and creasing contributing to what is little more than a gentle patina apart from the rip in the rear seat. The carpet in the driver’s footwell is also damaged.

On the credit side of the ledger that’s pretty much the extent of the wear ‘n’ tear bar some chrome tarnishing and marks to the front passenger armrest – and everything we tried worked as it should, which is no mean feat.

But then the seller has invested a significant sum during his ownership, including around £5,000 with marque specialists Fiennes Restoration for servicing and other work, including a fortune spent on having exhaust mounting brackets fabricated and fitted. A boot lock too, and some rubber seals. Y’know, the small stuff that most of us would have ignored.

There are also invoices from Townsend for servicing plus extensive work to the rear braking system in 2020 and replacing a rear suspension sphere in 2018.

As the video shows it starts well and develops good oil pressure. It also idles smoothly and revs with a discreet-but-purposeful roar. Our test drive went very well, with no apparent faults.

The engine and its ancillaries are all clean and neatly presented; if you felt the need to tidy it up further then few would condemn you for being overly fastidious – but if you were to leave it alone then your enjoyment of the car wouldn’t be diminished.

As for future maintenance, many enthusiasts find them surprisingly accessible thanks to their being plenty of space allied with significantly above-average diligence in its engineering; a decent tool kit and a bit of commonsense should enable you to complete routine servicing yourself. 

The underside has a smattering of surface rust, but it doesn’t seem to be any more extensive or intrusive than that. The only mention of rust in its MoT history was in 2016 and that was nothing more than “slight corrosion” to the offside front of the structure, and no further mention was made the next and final MoT in 2017.

The Silver Shadow does not have an MoT certificate, and the recent Vehicle History Check is clear.

The history file includes paperwork from before it was built all the way through to the present day, including a note on an invoice from October 1977 to say the tyres had been checked for “truth and balance”.

A motto for our times, eh?

This paperwork includes detailed invoices from 1995-98, which suggest it was thoroughly overhauled by Richard B. Watson, plus the odd glimpse into what life was like at R-R at a time when a week’s production included cars for sheiks, princes and princesses, and Californian doctors.

Originally registered as 'RYL 559L' the car has worn many distinguished plates including ‘BC25' and ‘B46' before settling on its current number of ‘OAS 302R’.

It also comes with the wallet and book pack, a few old tax discs, period photos, and many, many pieces of paper. The seller estimates the history file is a couple of inches thick, which sounds about right to us.

A note on file says the car must be “finished to the highest level of the Specified Standards”, warning that Lord Stokes wanted to see the car before taking delivery.

It’s obvious this example would have been assembled with even greater care than usual. 

And yet, even this example’s illustrious history and significant recent expenditure hasn’t quelled the depreciation that makes the Silver Shadow such astonishing value for money.

Our estimate is that it will sell for between £8,000 and £12,000, a paltry figure that’s made all the more attractive with the news the seller is happy to offer it with no reserve, so the Silver Shadow will be considered sold once the first bid has been placed. 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.