$12,255
The Rolls Royce Silver Wraith is a full-sized luxury vehicle produced from 1965 to 1980. The Silver Shadow II was built from 1977 to 1980. To date, the Silver Shadow’s run is the largest production volume of any vehicle in the company’s history.
The Rolls Royce Silver Wraith is a full-sized luxury vehicle produced from 1965 to 1980. The Silver Shadow II was built from 1977 to 1980. To date, the Silver Shadow’s run is the largest production volume of any vehicle in the company’s history.
Thanks to claims that Rolls Royce was falling behind in innovation, the Silver Wraith was the first Rolls to feature unitary body and chassis construction, which greatly improved rigidity. Designed by John Polwhele Blatchley, the Silver Wraith was a major departure from the preceding Silver Cloud’s design, but a necessary one meant to deal with complaints that Rolls Royce’s were simply too large for both European and American roads. The new design was 3.5 inches narrower and 7 inches shorter than the Silver Cloud but was able to offer more passenger and luggage space thanks to the unitary construction allowing for more efficient packaging.
The car has a 6.75L V8 mated to a GM-sourced Turbo Hydramatic 400 automatic gearbox. Rolls Royce also licensed a high-pressure hydropneumatic suspension system from Citroen, which featured dual circuit braking and hydraulic self-levelling suspension. The levelling-system was used at both ends of the car originally, but by 1969 it was removed from the front after Rolls Royce decided that the rear system did most of the work anyway. It was thanks to this partnership with Citroen that Rolls Royce was able to cement its legacy as a company offering outstanding ride quality.
This Silver Wraith is navy blue. The car features baby-blue pinstriping down both sides of the vehicle from head to toe. There is a gash in the rubber on the passenger side of the front bumper, the Rolls-Royce badge on the driver’s side of the car is scuffed just like the center caps on the hubcaps, the area where the A-pillars meet the body is a little rough between the vinyl and the sheet metal, and the plastic part of the rear bumper is cracking on the driver’s side of the car. The blue vinyl roof could use some polish. Chrome pieces and trim are in nice condition, all pieces are straight, and none appear to need a rechroming. There seems to be a decent amount of tread left on the tires, but a new set is always recommended. All glass around the car including the headlights and taillights, is clear and free of cracks and chips. Overall, the exterior of this Silver Wraith is clean, there is no major damage on any area holding this car back from greatness.
The interior is also a rich navy blue. The leather front seats are in good condition although they do show some creasing. The leather rear bench is inn even better shape, showing much less creasing than up front. Leather on the door panels is clean if not a little aged, but the wooden inlays on each door look phenomenal. Carpeting up front would definitely benefit from a vacuuming, but all pieces appear to be lying flat. Carpets in the back seat are much cleaner and also have no issues laying in place. The wooden dashboard is not as nice as the inlays on the door panels. The wooden dash has aged slightly worse than other areas, but it doesn’t need replacing outright. All mounted gauges are clean and easily readable, except the switch for the headlights which does seem to have some wear and tear on the module’s face. The seller also added an aftermarket JVC stereo for a touch of modern convenience. The dash pad on the passenger side is cracking. The sunshades hang as intended, and the headliner is both free of stains and hangs neatly in place as well. The trunk has some extra carpeting as well as some other spare pieces, but the carpeting inside the trunk itself seems to be failing it some degree. The trunk never needs a lot of attention, but it will certainly have to be dealt with if the winning bidder intends to show the car competitively. This Silver Wraith has more flaws inside then outside, but the severity of the damage observed is weak at best.
We are happy to report that the undercarriage of this Silver Wraith is clean. The frame and floorboards appear solid, the suspension components are all in order, and the exhaust exhibits discoloration which is expected given the age of the vehicle. Under the hood the engine bay is clean, there is no immediate major damage to be seen, and everything appears to be in its proper place.
Based on the documents available to us, the seller acquired this car in April of 2013.
The Silver Wraith is an excellent automobile from a wonderful era for Rolls-Royce. The 80’s were an important time for the maker because the cars they produced during these years solidified their reputation as the kings of luxury segment well into the 2000s. Today’s Silver Wraith has picked up a couple of bumps and bruises in its travels, but it won’t take much to turn things around. This leaves us feeling quite confident the car will have little issue achieving its $7,000 - $11,000 estimate.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BIDDERS
It should be noted that this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.
We have not started or driven the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.
Please note that the title for this vehicle is in transit.
