1976 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

This striking looking Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow hails from the latter days of the first series production. This example originates from March 1976 with Series I production halting in December of that year at chassis number SRE26700. This car’s chassis number of SRH24006 places it amongst the last 3,000 of the 16,000 odd Series I cars ultimately produced.

The car was originally supplied by dealers H.A. Fox of London W1. The first owners, W.J. Bowden & Sons, specified the striking Regency Bronze livery as well as a fire extinguisher, a badge bar and the black Everflex vinyl roof that has always suited the Shadow so well. The cost of all this modernity, luxury and sophistication? £18,235.22 (roughly £130,000 in today’s money).

The first owners retained the Shadow for around six years when it was acquired by a Dr. T.C. Mayer in September 1982. According to the service record, the Rolls-Royce had covered around 40,000 miles at that stage. Dr Mayer clearly loved the Silver Shadow retaining it for a full 36 years. The third owner acquired it in 2018 before selling it at auction in May 2023. The current keeper acquired it at that time with the mileage standing at an indicated 108,000. It is this keeper who is offering this lovely example for sale here today.
 

In design terms Blatchley seemingly had a bigger range than Sir Larry Olivier given he designed both the Silver Cloud and Shadow. Parked together the two cars look significantly more than 10 years apart. The Shadow offered a contemporary aesthetic that Cloud owners must have found initially quite alien. That was a good thing, perhaps.

Our example looks sublime in its original Regency Bronze livery. It’s certainly an appropriate hue for the stately Shadow and one which helps to accentuate the clarity of Blatchley’s design aesthetic. Seemingly wearing its original finish, the Silver Shadow looks shiny and lustrous from a few paces. On closer inspection there are a number of imperfections noted. These are particularly obvious on the horizontal panels and imperfections include paint fade, cracking, scratches and some corrosion related bubbling. The bodywork looks well presented and the brightwork impressively gleaming. A dent is noted on the offside of the front bumper, however. Panel gaps look tight and symmetrical too. The Everflex roof has been ripped in a couple of places which has allowed some water ingress which, in turn, has caused some lifting and further deterioration. 

The front of the car is a particular highlight of Blatchley’s design. The famous Pantheon grill dominates, as is only right, and was carried over from the Silver Cloud if in considerably shorter guise. Of course, this is topped with the Spirit of Ecstasy which has adorned Rolls-Royce grills since 1911. That optional badge bar is still present, complete with four period enamel badges, as are a pair of Lucas driving lamps.

Add into this heady visual mix the 15-inch steel wheels disguised behind the chromed and body colour painted hub caps complete with central “RR” embossing. These are shod with a matching set of the requisite Avon Turbosteel tyres in the correct 235/70 configuration and featuring a subtle, thin whitewall detail.
 

The interior of our car appears to be in its original condition and, as such, exhibits a charming level of use related patina and character. The front seats exhibit a charming level of this leather equivalent of a badge of honour. The rear bench has been considerably less frequented, seemingly, given the condition. The independently lit rear vanity mirrors are a long-standing Rolls-Royce signature and present and correct here. Our consignment team repot that the driver’s seat base has suffered a collapse and that the junction of the backrest and squab has worn into minor holes. Of course there’s a thicket’s worth of walnut veneer in evidence. This adorns the bluff dashboard and the door caps as well as other well-chosen areas of the cabin. This looks to be in a decent condition overall with the door caps having suffered somewhat from the rigours of ultra-violet deterioration.

The biscuit hued Wilton carpets appear to be the original and present well, as does the light coloured, flock finished headlining. There is some carpet fraying to the outer edge of the driver’s carpet noted. In the rear the original wedge shaped, carpeted footrests are present and surprisingly comfortable. The dashboard is populated with the familiar white on black Smiths gauges and chromed switches and buttons. The original, large but slender two spoke steering wheel is present. This Silver Shadow still features its original, and now quite rare, Pioneer QP-444, 8 track player. A separate Blaupunkt push button radio is positioned between the seats. Both original and charming period features for the audiophile. The large boot is trimmed with matching black Wilton edge bound carpet. 
 

Initially the Silver Shadow carried forward the L410 6.2L V8 engine from the Silver Cloud. By 1970, however, the capacity was increased to 6,750cc and this was mated to the three speed, widely used THM (Turbo Hydra Matic) gearbox. Rolls-Royce traditionally referred to the power output as “adequate” or roughly around 180 - 200bhp in today’s money. This was sufficient for a 120mph plus top speed and a 10-second 0-60mph time. Rolls-Royce is all about serenity, of course, and this combination allied to that magic carpet suspension was more than equal to that hushed and unruffled task.

The under-bonnet presentation of the Shadow appears highly original and in a decent overall order. It is clean and straight, and all the expected data plates appear present and correct. The highly specified puffer jacket-esque under bonnet insulation is even intact. The underside of the car looks admirably straight, leak free and well presented. The under-slung spare wheel is present and looks to be in reasonable shape and ready to be deployed if the worst happened.
 

There is an ample paperwork file associated with our Silver Shadow. The Silver Shadow is categorised as an Historic Vehicle and, as such, is MoT exempt and zero rated for VED in the UK. Despite its exemption the Rolls-Royce was last MoT’d in February 2022 at which point it secured an advisory free pass. A large number of previous MoT hard copies are also on hand.

Another key highlight is the original book pack which includes an instructive service booklet. This contains 11 stamps covering dates from 1976 to 1987. A decent number of invoices for work undertaken are on hand from all periods of the car’s history. Another interesting highlight is the original, typed H.A. Fox sale invoice dating from March 1976.
 

As is often the way with relatively ubiquitous but originally very expensive cars, the Silver Shadow endured an under appreciated and under valued period in its middle age. This trend tends to take a scythe to numbers as low-priced examples become uneconomic to repair and hence head for breaker’s yard. This, in turn, works to revive the fortunes of the remaining cars and has the effect of leaving the best examples in the hands of those that truly cherish them.

That appears to be the case with this Silver Shadow. Its charm lies in its impressive originality with lots of rarely seen period features still in evidence. Despite that this Silver Shadow represents a thoroughly usable example which is reported by the vendor to “run like a dream.” Clearly with loads of faithful service left to give this Silver Shadow from the model’s pomp represents an exciting and fine value ownership proposition.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £10,000 - £15,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays 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’.