1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Built before Rolls-Royce disappeared up their own backsides and renamed themselves The House of Rolls-Royce (and no, I’m not joking), this Silver Shadow is a charming reminder of why everyone who was anyone bought one; legends like Tom Jones, George Best, and Barry Sheene all had one, as did Muhammad Ali, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Dean Martin, Aristotle Onassis, Frank Sinatra and Lew Grade.

This is a Shadow II, so has the bigger, 6.75-litre Rolls Royce V8, plus better steering and the distinctive front air dam. In this guise the model continued until 1980.

There are many and varied wonderful reasons to own a classic car, but one of the less obvious ones are the colour combinations you end up with. Can you really imagine ordering a new car finished in metallic gold paint with a dark brown leather interior? Probably not, but doesn’t it just look fantastic on this Shadow?

The Honey Gold finish is very good overall, but it appears to us that some panels have been painted at different times, with slightly different levels of finish. The overall impression though is very good. And in truth, the only obvious marks we could see on the exterior were some tiny scratches on the corner of the rubber on the front bumper.

The dark brown Everflex roof (you won’t get one of those on your modern Roller either) is in generally perfect order but we noted that the roof is loose along the gutters on both sides and is a bit rippled along the top edge of the windscreen. The colour coded wheel trims are unmarked, and overall the car just looks fabulous.

The dark brown leather in here really is something else, and although the seat leather looks slightly dry in places, and would benefit from a good dose of hide food, it’s in great condition with no tears or splits. There are some small scuff marks on the passenger door card, but we think these could be rectified with a leather care kit.

All the – and there’s a lot of it – woodwork is in fantastic condition, contributing to the gentlemans’ club on wheels atmosphere of the Shadow’s extremely sumptuous and serene cabin. All the switches and controls are in superb oreder and the owner assures us that everything works as it should.

The original radio still takes pride of pace on the dashboard, while a modern Pioneer unit has been installed discreetly lower down, combining the best of both worlds – an authentic vista but vastly improved sound quality.

Open the aluminium bonnet and the Shadow’s engine bay doesn’t disappoint. It’s in lovely condition and looks totally standard and to original spec. The 6.75-litre Rolls Royce V8 purrs just as it should and looks every inch the gentleman’s power unit of choice.

The car’s car’s underside shows no signs of rust and we couldn’t see anything to worry about whatsoever.

This Silver Shadow comes with a large history file which includes old tax discs and MoTs, plus a big stack of historic invoices showing the thousands of pounds lavished on this car in maintenance costs over the years.

The owner says:

‘I bought the car because I fell in love with it. I had owned another Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 2 before, but frankly it wasn’t in the same league. I ended up paying some hefty bills on some of the essentials like brakes. So this time I took my Rolls Royce mechanic with me and he’s been working on Rolls Royces for 30 years.

‘Together we spent all afternoon testing and examining it including taking it up on a hydraulic lift. His judgment at the end of it all was that “this was a good one”. In truth I knew when we took it out for a test drive that I loved it just by the way it drove. Everything about it was right from the bodywork, to the engine bay, to the leatherwork.

‘I’m now selling it because I’m moving from a home with a well insulated and dry garage to a flat in the City with no garage. It’s just not possible to keep it, hence my sad farewell to a wonderful car with many happy memories.

‘The most recent memory was driving the car with friends to Glyndebourne Opara House. And then afterwards driving back home through the English Countryside with the windows down on a perfect summer’s evening.

‘Somehow the car creates a sense of occasion all of its own. It always generates loads of waves and invariably people will come over to have a chat when I park it in a car park. Of all the classic cars I’ve owned I’ve never had one which generates such a warm and friendly feeling.

‘I’ve only taken it to one car show at the RAC club at Woodcote Park where it held its own amongst much more exotic fare. I’d describe its condition as below concourse but not far below. A car to enjoy as well as look at.

‘The only non-standard thing it has is an excellent speaker discretely hidden in the back seat. It’s a lovely car and I will miss her.'

These Rolls Royces were made in large numbers considering their prestige, and values have been low for many years. However, they’re finally climbing to more realistic levels – a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow is a lot of car – and finding a good one is a must. Buy badly and you could be in for a miserable time financially.

But buy well and you’ll own an asset that you can enjoy, while watching its value steadily rise. This is a lovely example of the breed, in a fabulous colour combination that you simply don’t see on modern cars. An investment.

We estimate this car to reach between £20,000 - £25,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.