1973 Rolls-Royce Shadow I

The Silver Shadow we are offering for sale was manufactured in 1973 and has covered a mere 58,000 miles in its 49-year life.

The car was part of the renowned James Hull collection. For those unacquainted, the good Dr Hull, a multi-millionaire dentist, amassed a haul of some 543 classic British cars during his lifetime.

In 2014, the Special Vehicle Operations arm of Jaguar Land Rover purchased the collection, with rumours of the price being paid being somewhere between £25-35 million. They were clearly after the 130 rare and interesting Jaguars.

Our Silver Shadow was one of the cars sold off by JLR and it was acquired by the current owner just over a year ago, adding to his own extensive private collection. With the car having been off the road for almost a decade, almost £10,000 bringing the car back to life. The work was carried out by JRM Engineering, a specialist in Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars.

We are told the car now starts on the button and glides down the road as only a Rolls can. So why the sale? Well, the owner has recently purchased a new project car, another British beauty in the form of a Bristol. So, time find a new owner for his striking Roller, only just immerging from the shadows…

The burgundy red coachwork rather suits the Silver Shadow we think and from a distance the car looks absolutely fabulous. It may well be all original, you never know.

Closer inspection does expose some flaws. There are small areas of rust bubbling below the surface visible in places, such a beneath the chrome side trim.

The nearside bodywork seems to have come off worse in battles with some hedgerows, the surface scratches being readily apparent. A machine polish may well help… There’s a deeper scratch on the sill, which will need professional attention.

To the front, there are the expected stone chips, and you will find other marks and scratches elsewhere. We would suggest studying our extensive photographs or better still, come and see us and take a look for yourself.

There’s plenty of gleaming chromework on a Silver Shadow and most of it is in fair condition. We do note some damage to the nearside rear corner of the bumper and a rather poor repair.

The whitewall tyres are a nice period touch, made by BF Goodrich if you are interested. The chrome hub caps appear to be fine, apart from the burgundy painted sections which could do with a refresh.

Swathes of ivory leather – lovely! The front seats, as comfortable as your favourite armchair, are in nice condition, with a lovely patina that comes with age and use. There are some deeper cracks that may well improve with the right leather treatment.

The rear pew looks superb, we suspect from having much less use. The matching cream headlining looks to be in fine fettle and may well have been replaced.

Wood and trim seem to have shaken off the ravages of time quite well, though we did spot a small creased area, under the steering column – not a big deal.

Carpets and over rugs appear to be fine, though perhaps a steam clean would not go amiss.

The carpeted boot is capacious, ideal for weekends away or indeed a continental touring holiday.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, the sense of occasion is really quite palpable. The seat is armchair comfortable, the view down the long bonnet imperious, the Spirit of Ecstasy there to guide you on your travels.

Fire up that powerful, yet whisper quiet 6.7-litre V8 engine, slip the column mounted gear lever into drive and waft. Little will disturb the calm of the cabin as the miles slip by, all the while attracting admiring glances.

We always include some pictures of a car’s underside and that is the case here. We see nothing untoward other than a few spots where a little more underseal would not go amiss.

The painted areas beneath the front and rear bumpers are starting to show signs of some surface corrosion – attention please.

Lifting the bonnet reveals that familiar and reliable Rolls-Royce engine. There is plenty of evidence of considered maintenance and no signs that we can spot of anything untoward. Some of the painted areas look a little tired and may benefit from a refresh.

As we have already mentioned, the car starts on the button, and we are told drives well.

The Shadow’s MoT history shows a gap from 2011 to 2020. During that time the car covered less than 1,000 miles. Incidentally the test in both years was passed without any advisories.

The last MoT expired in October, but as the car is now exempt by way of age, this is no longer required.

In amongst the paperwork accompanying the car are service invoices covering the Shadows early years, which makes for interesting reading.

However, of more interest is the recent work carried out by JRM Engineering. It’s a fairly exhaustive list which we will attempt to summarise, though their invoice is in the picture gallery for your delectation.

• Strip and rebuild carburettors
• Rebuild brake pump
• Extensive work to heating and air conditioning system
• Replace air conditioning compressor
• Replace speedo cable
• Replace all flexible brake hoses
• Sort out rear height control valve
• Fit electronic ignition kit
• New oil and filter
• Replace axle oil
• Drain and flush cooling system
• Replace distributor cap and spark plugs

There is also a collection of recent invoices from parts specialists for an assortment of items.

This lovely Silver Shadow has an interesting history, having been deemed good enough to join Dr Hull’s amazing collection of British classics.

After a decade or so lying idle, the recent owners have invested heavily to ensure the car is mechanically sound. The invoices speak for themselves.

The car appears to be rot free, though would undoubtedly benefit from some attention to the paintwork.

Driving this lovely old car offers a sense of occasion missing in modern cars and harks back to a gentler time. This we like and if you are still reading this, we suspect you do too!

We are of the opinion that the car will sell for between £17,000 and £22,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’