Rolls Royce Silver Shadow - Model History

Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

From this distance, we can say that maybe not everyone deserved this title, but the Siver Shadow model definitely contributed to the consolidation of the myth… The story of Rolls Royce begins in 1906, when Henry Royce and CS Rolls founded a car factory and defined their intention to create the most perfect and best vehicles on the planet. The first model, the Silver Ghost, was a real example of such thinking and placed this house in the highest place of the then automobile industry. On the wings of that success and strong reputation, Rolls Royce continued to produce super-luxury and prestigious vehicles that were most commonly the transportation of royal families and extremely wealthy individuals around the world. Although, in the period before World War II, there were many luxury, worldwide, houses that could follow (even exceed) the level of aesthetics and luxury that Rolls Royce had, few of them could match the field of quality and endurance. This was especially evident in the wilderness of India or the Middle East, where Rolls was a favorite transportation of over-rich Maharajas or desert sheiks. This period is best illustrated by the famous statement of the famous British adventurer, TE Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, who said that Rolls in the desert is worth more than rubies and any wealth.

Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

In the 30s, Rolls Royce also established itself as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, giving Britain a decisive advantage over the Luftwaffe forces in the battle for the ascendancy of Europe's skies, and the aviation program remains current to this day and this house is one of the best in aggregate production for jet aircraft, both civilian and combat. However, with the end of the war, Rolls Royce found itself in the position of having to completely modernize its program and look for new customers. Most of the competing homes have disappeared but some new ones have emerged and Rolls' offerings are outdated, both technically and design-wise, although still undoubtedly prestigious, very expensive and luxurious. The solution was to introduce a new model, of characteristic design but more modern technology, which would not compromise the reputation of the factory but would take it to a higher level. Although this idea has existed since the early 50s, due to the tremendous traditionalism and constellation of this house, development has been extremely slow. Just as Rolls Royce's airtight stories and claims of weather overtook him, the company introduced the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow in 1965. It was absolutely clear to the automotive public around the world that it was the real representative of the house, the successor to the brand legend, but also about a modern car that, under its own body, included all the technical achievements in the field of luxury cars.

By design, the Silver Shadow was undoubtedly a Rolls Royce. The more modern lines in relation to its predecessors were, at the time of presentation, modern, and the three-room body intersected with aesthetic forms that had their roots in the 30s. Of course, double headlights and the famous radiator grille with the famous "spirit of ecstasy" sign, could not be left out. Still, although modern (but also conservative) in design, the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow has introduced some important innovations in terms of construction. Namely, it is the first Rolls Royce to have a monocoque chassis and platform construction as well as the first model of this factory that boasted independent suspension and disc brakes, which was a big improvement over previous models as well as competitors. However, the biggest move was the hydro-pneumatic system (Citroen license) which maintained the body level regardless of driving conditions. Under the long and patrician hood of the new Rolls was a large 8-liter V6.2 engine that transmitted power to the rear wheels via a Turbo Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission sourced from GM (except for pre-1970 models with a right-hand drive that had a manual transmission). The policy of the house (which has been retained to this day) not to publish the power of its models and to answer any such question (which was considered indecent) with "enough…" has deprived the specialized press of specific information.

Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

Of course, no one expected the Rolls Royce to have a weak engine (given 6.2 liters of volume), but at first no one (except the constructor) knew exactly how strong it was. However, from this distance, the figures are known, and the 6.2-liter V8 has 172 hp, while the 6.75-liter unit of the same configuration (which has been installed since 1969) has 189 hp. While not a great power for that volume, Rolls Royce engineers were moving towards high torque that is more important for super-comfortable jerkless driving. As with all other Rolls Royce's, the Silver Shadow is manually assembled, using the best materials and the most rigorous quality control possible, which is the secret to the reliability and longevity of these cars. This production style and top technical solutions justified the very high price of $ 19,700 (which was almost like 20 VW Beetles). Despite the fabulous amount of money buyers had to spend on the new Rolls Royce, this model quickly became highly sought after and re-established itself as the absolute transportation of the world jet set. Immediately after the introduction of the Silver Shadow sedan (1965), Rolls Royce introduced the beautiful coupe on the same basis and two years later the convertible. These models were initially called the Silver Shadow FHC (fixed head coupe), but in 1971 it was named Corniche, with the intention of distancing itself from the rest of the range.

During the period 1975 to 1986, a model Carmague was created on the basis of it, which had Pininfarina's body and made only 525 copies. Since Bentley was under Rolls Royce management at the time, the Silver Shadow sedan got its own Bentley version under the letter T, but apart from the front bezel and minor details, there was no difference. In late 1976 and early 1977, Rolls Royce and Bentley are upgrading the Silver Shadow and T models, which have since been called the Silver Shadow II and the Bentley T II. The changes also include modifications to the steering and suspension, as well as plastic bumpers that somewhat spoil the aesthetics of these cars, but were mandatory as a safety standard. For 15 years, after the launch (1980), production of the Silver Shadow is shut down, while Corniche will be manufactured by 1982 as a coupe and even by 1996 as a convertible. After over 38,000 cars produced (including Bentley and all variants) we can say that this is the most successful and best-selling Rolls Royce, which is a huge success given the small production of this house and the huge price. Still, the excellent concept of this car did not end its life with the shutdown of the Silver Shadow because the successor, the Silver Spirit model, took over the vast majority of technical solutions as well as the distinctive design of its predecessors.

In the end, one cannot deny the enormous importance of this car for Rolls Royce, not only brought it back to the very top of motoring, but with its excellent sales it also managed to provide the company with safety and a basis for further development. The huge number of produced copies, incredible quality and reliability mean that the vast majority of Silver Shads continue to travel the world and that they are not expensive to buy. A bit unbelievable, but "tired" copies can be bought for less than 10,000 euros, while the perfect models are reasonably expensive but not too much. However, although the base price may be small, maintaining a car like this and restoring it quickly proves to be a very expensive adventure. However, even if you decide to take that step, the money is not wasted because you get the ultimate luxury transport, which with its style, island flair, incredible reliability and quality still represents the king of fashionable resorts, top hotels and red carpets around the world…

Author: 426 Hemi
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Mladen

Hi there, I am Mladen and I am an auto enthusiast. I started this blog years ago to help like minded people share information about latest cars, car servicing ideas, used car info, exotic cars, and auto technology. You will find helpful articles and videos on a wide variety of cars - Audi, Mercedes, Toyota, Porsche, Volvo, BMW and much more. Ping us if you have anything cool to share on latest cars or on how to make older cars more efficient, or just want to say hi!