Just Arrived

Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow - FSD833

Chassis:  SRH0040495

Some cars arrive looking like they’ve spent the last decade arguing with the weather.

This one looks like it’s spent the last decade attending weddings.

Our latest arrival is this 1980 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, finished in white. Or, more accurately, finished in what we’re fairly certain wasn’t white when it left Crewe.

We believe it began life in gold before being recruited into the wedding trade, where countless Silver Shadows have exchanged their original colours for something a little more bridal. Usually, those resprays are easy enough to spot from twenty paces.

This one is different.

The paint has been done exceptionally well. It looks remarkably close to factory, with a finish that suits the shape so naturally you’d never question it if you didn’t know the story. Credit where it’s due, whoever carried out the work knew what they were doing.

Better still, the rest of the car backs it up.

The body is impressively straight, and rust is refreshingly hard to find. There are a handful of small bubbles beginning to appear beneath the paint on the bonnet and boot lid, but we'll be taking a closer look to see whether they're simply cosmetic or trying to tell us something more interesting. Aside from that, it's one of the cleanest Silver Shadows we've seen arrive for quite some time.

Inside, the story continues.

The brown leather remains soft and supple, with only the slightest signs of age. The carpets are clean, unfaded and haven't unravelled themselves into submission. Even the wood veneer deserves a mention. It's all there, largely intact, and refreshingly free from the sun-baked lacquer disasters we're so used to seeing. It isn't concours-perfect, but it's honest, tidy, and clearly hasn't spent years being neglected.

Even the tyres appear to be almost new, with deep tread and very little evidence of serious mileage. It's another small detail that suggests this car has been cared for throughout its life rather than simply kept going.

Mechanically, it's promising too.

It fired up without complaint and drove itself both on and off the trailer under its own power, which always earns bonus points around here. The only thing preventing it from being entirely cooperative is the braking system. The brakes work well enough to stop the car, but then refuse to let go again, making manoeuvring into position something of a slow-speed negotiation. Nothing we haven't seen before, and exactly the sort of thing we'll be investigating over the coming days.

The Silver Shadow was Rolls-Royce's first monocoque car and, for many, still represents the perfect balance between traditional craftsmanship and genuinely usable classic motoring. Find a good one and they're wonderfully satisfying cars to own.

We think this might be one of those.

Assuming our inspections don't uncover any unpleasant surprises, there's every chance this Shadow will be offered for sale rather than dismantled. It's far too good to break, and deserves the opportunity to carry on doing what it was built for.

So if you've been looking for a particularly honest Silver Shadow that's already had the expensive cosmetic work done, keep an eye on our sales page.

Something tells us this one won't be hanging around for long.