RR Silver Shadow for long distance trip etc

[jinkster]

I've been considering a Silver Shadow 2 or a SZ - Turbo R/ Brooklands for around £10,000.

Would a Silver Shadow 2 be up to a long distance trip (South of France)? Obviously the Bentley SZ would be better for this.

Does anyone have a list of which models are fuel injected and which are carburettor?

[buyer&seller]

Fuel injection was introduced on the 1987 model year car so cars from late '86 are all EFI.

[Modificata]

It all depends on how well the car has been maintained. Thats more important. Personally I would do it in a Silver Shadow 2 as I think it oozes with coolness, but that's personal opinion.

[Dand E Lion]

We take a 1980 T2 to the Cote d'Azur every year in the summer, without difficulty We do stop to fill up quite a lot though!

[tonys]

With the age of the vehicles you're considering, how it's been maintained would be a major consideration for me. Presumably you're considering covering the majority of miles on the Autoroutes, in which case they'd all be quite capable. If you were taking some of the N routes / mountains and liked pressing on, a Turbo R would roll less than a standard Shadow 11 in the bends.

[Bluebottle911]

Would a Shadow make it to the South of France? Of course it would! Dammit, any Rolls would. A Silver Ghost would, and that's 100+ year old technology.

[9six4]

I've covered almost 1,000 miles in a week in my '76 Corniche - the longest single journey being about 450 miles.

I would make sure my car was serviced and checked over before setting out, but would otherwise have no concern about driving down to Antibes etc

As an earlier poster mentioned, it really depends upon how the car has been maintained, not its age.

[88v8]

£10k might buy you a decent Shadow.
But if it hasn't had a major service in the last two years, forget it. Ex-wedding cars, cars little used, serviced by Joe Bloggs Garages, arrrgh.
The hydraulics and heating system can be a money-pit. Beware of old tyres with 'good tread guv'. And like other cars designed in the 60s they rust like blinko underneath.

All that said, I don't regret the money I have spent on ours. Lovely to drive. Magic carpet ride. Woody-leathery interior of seven hides. Will cruise in the 90s. Bit rolly in corners unless it has a Harvey-Bailey handling kit, but then if you want to earole it, buy a different car.

Hint; Dougal at Longstone has a nice Shadow II he is looking to sell. It has a standout interior.

V8

[Paul Yorke]

Hi, yes a Shadow II would make it to the South of France, done it many times. It's also really nice to be able to drive all day and get out at the other end and still feel fresh enough to go out and party when you arrive.

But it has to be a well maintained one as others have mentioned.

"Would a Shadow make it to the South of France? Of course it would! Dammit, any Rolls would. A Silver Ghost would, and that's 100+ year old technology."

No. Just NO. Not ANY Rolls would. And if it did it might not make it back.

Find a good RR&B specialist to maintain it for you. Look at as many as you can. When you find one you want get a Pre-purchase inspection on it.

If you don't know what fluids have been changed in the past four years, change them. Brake fluid and the hydraulic system needs an experienced eye cast over it. Prevention is infinitely better than cure . . . and vastly cheaper to.

Good luck and have a wonderful time .

Paul.

[OLDBENZ]

I had a low mileage 1980 T2 for occasional use between 2003 and 2014, covering about 14,000 miles over that time on decent trips with 36,000 total on the car when I sold it. It had one service a year with Hillier Hill and never missed a beat. Preventative maintenance is the key.

My only gripe is that it is a little under geared for fast motorway use and I always wondered if the later model's 4 speed was an easy substitute but I really did not use it enough to warrant exploring that. As big a boot as you can find anywhere, good A/C and everything solid and well made. A foolish decision to sell it in 2014 before I sorted out my storage arrangements which I now regret. Shedding a tear as I upload this photo.

[Xtriple129]

Be very careful buying a cheap (10 K is cheap) Rolls Royce or Bentley. As others have said: maintenance is EVERYTHING on these cars. Good maintenance is expensive therefore very few cars get it. Carriage trade cars often look the part,but that's it. I knew a guy that ran two RRs for weddings and the cars looked glorious but his idea of looking after them and mine, differed wildly - Transit rear shock absorbers in a series one Shadow?

A 'cheap' Rolls Royce or Bentley is an absolute money pit. The prices of parts alone will make your wallet bleed and specialist worth their salt, don't come cheap.

If you are in the South West: Specialist cars in Exeter are very good and the last time I was up there (a frequent trip for me this last 6 months!) they had a couple of Shadows for sale. I know nothing about either car but Paul is very good and honest, he is always open to giving advice.