1972 Rolls-Royce Corniche MPW

This sumptuous two-owner car was first registered in the UK in 1972 and began its life as a resident of Cheam, Surrey.

Shortly afterwards it made its way to the glamorous avenidas and ramblas of sunny Marbella and, from there, moved a little nearer to home by relocating to Jersey in the early 1980s.

In 2003 it was bought by its second owner, the vendor, when it had yet to cross the 20,000-mile threshold. 

These cars were never intended to be cheap to run or maintain. It follows that anyone contemplating an example that’s been denied the right amounts of attention and expenditure must be considered mad or reckless or both.

This one, we’re happy to report, has a great big history file that’s fair groaning under the weight of eye-wateringly large bills, invoices and receipts. 

No expense has been spared, no corners have been cut, no compromises have been indulged.

The result of this diligent curation is a car that’s in very good overall condition and has lost little of its grace and stately poise to the passage of time.

It starts on the button and purrs along effortlessly. And when you want power, it’s there in an abundant, but suitably understated, way. 

It drives exceptionally well and offers a ride quality that’s smoother than Cary Grant in a cocktail lounge.

The vendor has used the car sparingly but regularly and has taken it on tours of Europe and, one occasion, the Middle-East.

He tells us that everything works as it should, as far as he’s aware, but adds that the clock doesn’t work and the rear, driver’s-side quarter-light sometimes gets stuck and he has to resort to the use of a manual winder.

The car’s vast acreage of bodywork is in really very decent overall condition and there are no creases, dinks, dents, ripples or folds of any consequence anywhere that we can see.

The hood is also in fine condition, not least because it was given a new outer cover, and stripped, rebuilt and equipped with a new rear wooden frame in 2014. 

The graceful, curvaceous, epic lines of the bodywork are just as they should be, and the panels, panel gaps and shut-lines are even, consistent and crisp.

In our opinion, very few cars look good in gold. 

It’s a shade that tends to make most cars (and their owners) look a little nouveau riche, a little arriviste. 

Without doubt, the foremost exception to this rule is the Rolls-Royce Corniche, and particularly in its convertible iteration.

A gold Corniche convertible is a car that tells the world that neither it nor its owner has anything to prove. 

They are not social climbers. They have climbed and successfully summitted. 

They are not trying to impress. They are impressive. 

They are not arriving. They have arrived.

This car is in its original Nugget Gold livery, which was the official launch colour for the Corniche.

And what a gloriously opulent shade it is.

For the most part, the paint-work and finish have retained plenty of shine and depth of lustre. 

It has to be said that this dazzling vehicle is not a sensible choice for anyone wishing to remain inconspicuous. 

There are one or two cosmetic issues here and there. Some nascent bubbling is making an appearance in the sill beneath the driver’s door and can also be seen along the top edge of the driver’s door and beneath the door handle on the same side. 

There are some small spots of blistering at the base of both rear wings, and at the bases of the nearside ‘C’ pillar section of the hood and the n/s/f wheel arch.

Other minor aberrations include a stone chip at the base of the n/s/f wing, another on top of the o/s/f wing, and one or two more around the lights and grille.

There are also a few scuffs and a little blistering at the bases of both rear wings.

The chrome is shiny and gleaming everywhere you look, and the wheels and tyres are in good condition, and appear to be largely unacquainted with kerbs or other roadside obstacles.

The lights, lenses, badging, and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in excellent order.

The condition of the interior is every bit the equal of the exterior.

The magnolia leather upholstery has a few creases here and there and the odd patch of wear on the upright undersides of the armrests, but the absence of ingrained patina is far more a reflection of the car’s low mileage of 58,059 than its 52 years of life. 

As you would expect, the seats are extremely comfortable, front and back. 

The mustard yellow Wilton carpets have withstood the vicissitudes of time with commendable stoicism, as have the lambswool over-rugs, which are sufficiently deep that you could easily lose sight of your feet.

The door cards are good, save for some creasing to the arm-rests.

Some of the lacquer and varnish has worn away from the wooden door cappings and also in a few places on the dashboard and glove compartment door.

The hood lining is beyond reproach.

The steering wheel, gear selector and other controls look good.

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch, but those we did tweak, press and flick did as they were told without delay or complaint. 

We haven’t tried the Radiomobile 8-track player. 

The boot is intact and broadly pretty good, but there is some staining to the carpet on one side. This was caused by an errant battery. The vendor has replaced the rubber base liner but hasn’t got around to tackling the carpet. There is a tonneau cover in the boot.

The engine bay is clean, dry, and tidy. 

Everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

The car’s undersides look to be possessed of plenty of structural integrity.

We’ve seen absolutely nothing to make us nervous. 

The car comes with its original service book which, bar the odd hiatus or two, contains stamps covering most of its life from new until 2022.

There are numerous invoices, bills and receipts attesting to maintenance, repair and refurbishment work carried out over the years, with most of the recent heavy lifting falling to Specialist Cars South West and West Hoathly Garage Ltd, both of which are respected Rolls-Royce specialists. 

Suffice to say that absolutely no expense has been spared - ever as far as we can tell - in this car’s upkeep, maintenance and care.

They really don’t make them like this anymore. 

These cars were the epitome of unabashed luxury and indulgence.

They made no attempt to disguise their disregard for concepts as vulgar as economy, humility, conservatism or anonymity.

This particular Corniche is a gilded nod to a bygone age peopled by potentates, pop stars, presidents and princes. 

Entirely unsurprisingly, Frank Sinatra, Michael Caine and Zsa Zsa Gabor were all Corniche convertible owners.

This car is pretty much in a league of its own for sheer class and opulence.

It has clearly been well cared-for by its two owners from new and, while there are one or two largely cosmetic issues to consider, it remains a fine low-mileage example that has lost none of its allure or power to turn heads and drop jaws.

We’re confident to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate of £55,000 - £65,000. 

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