Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[polara]

Planning to buy a 1970 through to 1973 model Rolls Royce Silver Shadow I, done approx 100,000 miles .
I am keen on recent service history evidencing a 90,000 mile full overhaul of entire braking ,suspension and hydraulic systems ,and full recent service incl electrics, dashboard warning lights , replacement of all belts ,hoses ,rubber seals etc. Should be mechanically sound with minimal rust, good leather, wood ,chrome ,glass and tyres.
What price do you think I should pay for such a above average mileage Shadow with only average condition bodywork and paintwork ?

[clan chieftain]

There are a few on ebay at the moment reasonably priced. Depends on how much you want to spend.
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The Clan Chieftain

[Ashley]

[peppiB]

Back in the 80's I was friends with the owners of a wedding car hire business. Their drivers reported that they would rather take out a Merc or Beauford rather than a Rolls. Only time one of their vehicles broke down at a wedding was a Rolls (caught fire)

Mate currently has a Rolls, and it spends as much time at the dealers as it does on the road. Good job he has very deep pockets

[baconsdozen]

I spent a year trying to find a decent shadow. Take a magnet with you and you'll find it will show up filler in places you've never dreamed of,mechanically they cost fortunes to put right and dont buy one thats been sprayed white because white doesn't show ripples and dents like darker colours.
Talking to other owners they are (so they say) the car most likely to get keyed or vanadalised in a public parking area and having driven a few now I'd say a decent XJ6 or 12 is a better drive anyway.
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[Ray White]

One particular feature of the Shadow is that they roll like a boat at sea. The downside of being unable to corner properly (apart from having passengers sliding across their seats) is an appetite for expensive tyres.

The strange thing is that for such a mechanically sophisticated car they seem to handle worse than the huge bulk of the earlier Cloud models but I must admit that my experience of the former was a long time ago and then chauffeur driven so perhaps not a fair comparison. I had an elderly Aunt who had a Bentley version, the S1, and she would often say how that was not a patch on her previous "Derby Bentley".

Perhaps it depends on who is driving it and how?

[47p2]

I was standing under a Shadow that was on the ramps of my local stainless steel exhaust builder last week, from the outer skin the car looked tidy though it had obviously been repainted at some point, but underneath was a whole different ballgame. The floorpan had been undersealed but the rust was coming through the black rubber coating, crumbling metalwork was everywhere and it would take a lot of work to make the underneath a viable proposition again...
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ROVER
One of Britain's Fine Cars

[Ray White]

[alanb]

I remember reading a group test when the V12 jag first came out between the jag v12 the merc 450 sel the Cadillac Seville and the shadow, in conclusion for road holding and handling they placed the jag first followed closely by the merc with the RR trailing behind them but way ahead of the caddy, a foot note said "whilst the RR tended to wallow in corners and its size hampered it in tight bends don't think you can keep up with it in your cortina or marina or you'll soon find yourself on your roof". So whilst the RR shadow may not be up to the standards some might expect it still held its own in contemporary company.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[Ray White]

Polara has asked how much for an above average milage Shadow 1 with only average bodywork. Although prices are rising I should think you could still find one for under £10,000.

If I should decide to view a car I would try and get an experienced RR mechanic to look it over. The Citroen based braking and suspension hydraulic systems are notoriously complicated.

There is a lot to be said for buying the best you can afford.

Personally, I only really like the MPW cars. Those are the 2 door hard top models which are mechanically identical to the Shadow but have really stylish bodywork. The last one I saw in 'silver sand' in good condition went for £26,000. Ouch!

[Ashley]

Shadow prices aren't rising, but a lot are being broken because no one wants them.

As to handling, it is absolutely dreadful compared to an XJ6 and those who read Car magazine in its early days may remember they gave it a total panning. As I said, my wife refused to drive mine because it was downright unsafe if you were used to a modern. She had a Subaru Estate at the time.

My MKVI is far better handling and faster cornering than a Shadow and mine has a handling kit, so is a lot better. You can forget you're in an old car unless you park it in a tight spot. Then it's bloody heavy.

The problems are that the complex climate control is R-R's own and ludicrously expensive to repair and impossible to do yourself without test equipment. Just as early Citroens did so the Shadow uses RR363 for the Brakes, ride height rams and level sensors. There are two braking systems and two callipers per front wheel and four piston calipers on the rears, each one on a different system. The steel pipe routings are complex and they all rust.

They're difficult to work on without a decent ram and even brake pads that aren't quite MK4 Cortina are special and priced accordingly.

The post 1987 cars are much better to drive, but terribly expensive and troublesome, so as an ex owner of a Shadow and a Spirit I'd advise against.

The best cars R-R ever made, Silver Ghosts excepted, are the 1946-'55 ones. They're still expensive, but very reliable and one of the nest driving cars of all time. After that they decided to chase Cadillac, but for four times the price.

[mikeC]

[Ray White]

Not a Shadow but a MPW (Mulliner Park Ward) alloy bodied Rolls Royce. This looks like a fine example. Expensive.

http://www.classicandsportscar.ltd.uk/photos/Rolls-Royce-Mulliner-Park-Ward-Coupe/25074

[Ray White]

PERHAPS this is more within budget. Just over £6,000

https://cars.donedeal.co.uk/vintagecars-for-sale/rolls-royce-silver-shadow-shadow-1-sing/10147542

[polara]

Thanks all for the really useful inputs.
Does it help to get a '70-'73 model done upto 100,000 miles with a service history for the past 5/6 years. Full service before sale to incl brakes, suspension, hydraulics and electrics. Free Dealer Obligor Warranty for 3 months and option to buy an extended warranty ?.
Condition : minimal rust, mechanically sound with good leather, woodwork, chrome , glass ,bodywork ,paint and tyres .
What price should I pay a Dealer for one such as this with above average mileage ?