1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Look on the V5C and you’ll notice that the number of previous owners is zero. This is, on paper at least, a one-owner car. It was cherished as the personal transport of a company director, used regularly from 1974 to 1990 and then put away in the garage. The gentleman decided to re-commission it in 2008 and the job grew legs, becoming a £20,000 restoration. A little less than two years ago, with the passing of the owner, it changed hands as a probate sale but was never re-registered, remaining off the road as a ‘garage queen’, as its current keeper describes it.

Apart from the initial test drive and a quick spin around the grounds for this photoshoot, the vendor has therefore never used it, though he has other classic cars and has a routine of running each car up to temperature once a month, so this Rolls-Royce remains in perfect working order. The restoration work took in body repairs, a glass-out repaint and quite a lot of sundry work to suspension and other items, but the driveline showed no faults - it still doesn’t - and so was left alone, bearing in mind the record of diligent service work that comes with the car.

With 84,000 miles behind it, very few of those since restoration, it’s one of the nicest Shadow Is on the market and can be enjoyed immediately. Better yet, you have the reassurance that its original owner has already spent the money that most Shadows will eventually consume.

This distinctive two-tone finish is in exactly the shades the car has always worn: Caribbean Blue over Silver Mink. It’s holding up very well after twelve years and has recently benefited from a machine polish and valet. The vendor describes it as at least a 9/10 paint-job, with traces of bleed lines into the existing finish visible in the under-bonnet area, for example, but a very good consistent shine on the outer surfaces.

There’s no rust on the car, no dings, dents or scratches. We found one slightly wobbly area on top of a sill adjacent to a door jamb plate but with no staining suggestive of corrosion. The door bottoms are just about perfect.

There is a lot of brightwork on a Shadow I, and it’s all very nice. Some has been renewed during restoration, some has a light texture of age but in no way needs re-plating or replacing. Trim strips are straight, the bumpers and that all-important grille are excellent. The car rides on four good Avon Turbospeeds and carries another as a spare. 

It is also worth mentioning this Shadow I comes complete with its original WGY 2M registration, which we have been informed is worth around £600, but we think would be better kept on the car.

Once you’re inside the Shadow’s sybaritic cabin, you start to get a feel for this car’s true condition - and what that’s worth. We think everything in here, bar the replacement lambswool mats, is original. The hide has been fed with a beeswax-based product and a rich leather smell fills the interior, but the real benefit is to the eyes and to the touch. Everything has just enough patina to feel mellow without having deteriorated, and the ambience through the optional Sundym glass is pretty special.

The woodwork is generally excellent on the dash and door tops, with only the walnut around the little vanity three-quarter mirrors in the C-pillars showing some discolouration under the lacquer. The headlining, in grey Ambla, is equally smart. The newer wool mats blend in nicely on the carpet, and below that you’ll find a soundproofing layer and rust-free floors. It’s a very similar story in the boot with nothing more than the odd scuff of surface corrosion lurking anywhere and a full kit of black carpet pieces fitting neatly over the factory insulation. The jack, wheel brace and original Small Tool set are present. There are two sets of keys.

There are a few niggles, such as slow electric windows and somewhat reluctant movement of the seat, also power-assisted. The cruise control button is refusing to play ball and the eight-track tape player also declines to operate properly, perhaps in protest at four decades of Max Boyce. 

The Shadow wears a very thorough coating of Waxoyl underneath, with the owner and those involved in the restoration clearly determined to put a stop to any future corrosion, and it’s worked. The engine bay is smart but not concours, with good clean fluids and no leaks beyond a very minor oil drip from somewhere near the front - sump gasket, possibly rocker cover or timing cover.

The braking system was extensively rebuilt during the restoration and shows no sign of needing more expenditure in the foreseeable future. The exhaust has been replaced with a stainless-steel system and is virtually perfect.

As mentioned previously, the car hasn’t seen any serious road usage in the last couple of years but the vendor states that it impressed him both when he first test drove it and again when it came out to have its picture taken. There’s less roll and pitch than you might expect from an old Rolls-Royce, and while the brakes are perhaps a little spongier than on his other R-R (he has a Shadow II as well) this could be more related to disuse than any real difference. To sum up - it’s very quiet and beautifully smooth. What else would you expect?

This car’s history folder makes extraordinary reading - it’s so exhaustive, coming as it does with heaps of pre-sale test reports from Rolls-Royce themselves, that an everyday abbreviation like ‘FSH’ doesn’t really do it justice.

After what must have been weeks of nit-picking and correction at Crewe, the car went to supplying dealer James Young in Bromley, Kent, and thence to the owner in south Wales. It went with a file of instruction books, manuals and information, all of which remain. There are service stamps right up to 1990, when the lay-up commenced, and then we have another considerable pile of detailed invoices from the restoration.

What began as an intent to get the car roadworthy again soon saw profound mission creep, with the restoration specialist (C.A.R.S. in Newport) fitting new inner and outer sills, wheel arches, lower quarter panels, front wing repair panels and various other items supplied mostly by Flying Spares. With almost £2000 in body panels alone, the job was clearly swelling into a full restoration and the detailed breakdown of costs shows important work to the fuel system, loom, suspension, braking system and general service items. With paint preparation and refinishing, plus the build-up of the car, the labour came to almost £9500, contributing to a total bill of £20,529.56.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

Well, this is a very nice car. If that’s a pretty bland statement for a website full of nice cars, think of it as the kind of response any non-petrolhead passenger would give…which is not always true of the classics we fancy. But this Silver Shadow’s blend of post-restoration competence and presentation with that delightfully well-preserved original interior makes it impossible not to be impressed.

The two-tone colour scheme lightens the look of the Shadow’s familiar outline and must be infinitely preferable to some of the 1970s browns and greens seen on other examples...never mind Wedding White. It has a desirable mix of features that lasted just three or four years in Shadow production: un-flared arches, the bigger engine, the reliable GM three-speed auto and of course the chrome bumpers.

But the real kicker, and the thing you’d find yourself boasting about if someone wanted to know the car’s story, is that long single ownership. It’s only really been driven by the man who bought it new, cherished it and spent rather more than its 1974 list price of £13,111 restoring it to full glory. We estimate this gorgeous example will sell for between £16,000 and £20,000, which we feel is very realistic considering its provenance and the substantial investment made to preserve it. 

Who wouldn’t fancy taking on a legacy like that?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Esher, Surrey. In these more difficult times we are recommending a thorough inspection of the gallery. Please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

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