RE: Rolls-Royce Shadow II | Spotted
Discussion
Nicely Spotted!
A bit non-plussed about the colour, but I do love this shape Silver Shadow. Contemplated buying one as a business (weddings etc) when I was out of work over 40 years ago, but just couldn't make the numbers add up.
This looks lovely, but, dare I say it, cheaper than I was expecting.
A bit non-plussed about the colour, but I do love this shape Silver Shadow. Contemplated buying one as a business (weddings etc) when I was out of work over 40 years ago, but just couldn't make the numbers add up.
This looks lovely, but, dare I say it, cheaper than I was expecting.
bristolracer said:
daveco said:
2 years later the Mercedes W126 S-class arrived. A car better in just about every way for a fraction of the cost.
Maybe, but then being chauffeured about in a car made by a German taxi manufacturer doesn't quite have the same exclusivity to it. Dont mind the colour but not what I would chose, Jayemm just did a very good video on a Turbo R in something other berry paint, a lustrous purple with matching purple goodness on the inside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8f1cUhtMWY
Thats the colour I would want now I have seen it.
Suppose there are cheap Shadows and there are decent Shadows, start with a cheap one and it could very well end up more expensive, remember seeing a local garage bodging one for its owner, industrial clods of P45, chicken wire etc and to be fair it looked very pretty in a pale blue but the dust pan and brush was getting some use, that was 1988 or thereabouts.
And if you ever wonder how bad an old Rolls can be for rust, read this,
https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/130482/1983-r...
Not saying dont, just be very wary and spend a bit more on a good one, and make sure it a good one by getting someone who knows them to look at it.
Would love one, but not a car I think suits being left outside for very long and I dont have a garage to fit one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8f1cUhtMWY
Thats the colour I would want now I have seen it.
Suppose there are cheap Shadows and there are decent Shadows, start with a cheap one and it could very well end up more expensive, remember seeing a local garage bodging one for its owner, industrial clods of P45, chicken wire etc and to be fair it looked very pretty in a pale blue but the dust pan and brush was getting some use, that was 1988 or thereabouts.
And if you ever wonder how bad an old Rolls can be for rust, read this,
https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/130482/1983-r...
Not saying dont, just be very wary and spend a bit more on a good one, and make sure it a good one by getting someone who knows them to look at it.
Would love one, but not a car I think suits being left outside for very long and I dont have a garage to fit one.
You can still get semi decent ones sub 10k. I recently posted this on another thread about the ones I own / have owned. All were bought within the last year.
Car 1 - 75 Shadow I, no real mechanical issues whatsoever, managed a 3.5hr drive after buying with no issues. Some bubbling on the paint but no structural rust. 5.5K GBP
Car 2 - 79 Shadow II, same as above, also 5.5K GBP
Car 3 - 78 Shadow II, totally rust free and running but in need of about 1.5K spending on it sorting electrical issues - 7K USD
Car 4 - 75 Shadow I, bit of a shed, in need of a full respray and some welding along with probably a fuel pump - 5K GBP
Getting one up to concours standard will indeed cost a fortune, and such cars are therefore quite rightly extremely expensive. If however you want a useable classic for the weekends and don't care if for example the AC doesn't work or one of the rear windows doesn't open, they can be bought and run for not much more than a similar era Jaguar / BMW etc. The main thing to check is that the hydraulic suspension / braking system is working and has had recent maintenance as that's something that can definitely cause financial pain. The engines and transmissions are pretty basic and reliable - the transmission is actually an old GM unit.
Car 1 - 75 Shadow I, no real mechanical issues whatsoever, managed a 3.5hr drive after buying with no issues. Some bubbling on the paint but no structural rust. 5.5K GBP
Car 2 - 79 Shadow II, same as above, also 5.5K GBP
Car 3 - 78 Shadow II, totally rust free and running but in need of about 1.5K spending on it sorting electrical issues - 7K USD
Car 4 - 75 Shadow I, bit of a shed, in need of a full respray and some welding along with probably a fuel pump - 5K GBP
Getting one up to concours standard will indeed cost a fortune, and such cars are therefore quite rightly extremely expensive. If however you want a useable classic for the weekends and don't care if for example the AC doesn't work or one of the rear windows doesn't open, they can be bought and run for not much more than a similar era Jaguar / BMW etc. The main thing to check is that the hydraulic suspension / braking system is working and has had recent maintenance as that's something that can definitely cause financial pain. The engines and transmissions are pretty basic and reliable - the transmission is actually an old GM unit.
Pub2Pub_Ben said:
This is rather a blast from the past - the colour appears to be identical to the one we took from the UK to S.E Asia, about ten years ago, pictured here near Donetsk, Ukraine.
I seem to remember it costing just over £5000 in 2012, and we got the money back at the end of the trip by selling it to a hotel owner in Laos, where as far as I know it's still in use, having been converted to RHD and put into service as an airport taxi.
Despite the very valid points being made on this thread about running costs and reliability, ours proved surprisingly reliable on its 10,000+ mile trip across Asia, with the only real issues I can think off of the top of my head being a cracked exhaust manifold in Kazakhstan, and the carburettor suffering a stuck float in China - neither exactly game stoppers. I guess the moral of this is that, like many cars, they like to be used, rather than left standing. And as a unique and imperious way to cross continents, there's not a lot that can touch an old Silver Shadow - even in an unusual shade of lemon yellow. Certainly, the Corvette I took along as my contribution to the convoy wasn't remotely on the same level, even if it was marginally better off road:
The stuff of which dreams are made and books written .I seem to remember it costing just over £5000 in 2012, and we got the money back at the end of the trip by selling it to a hotel owner in Laos, where as far as I know it's still in use, having been converted to RHD and put into service as an airport taxi.
Despite the very valid points being made on this thread about running costs and reliability, ours proved surprisingly reliable on its 10,000+ mile trip across Asia, with the only real issues I can think off of the top of my head being a cracked exhaust manifold in Kazakhstan, and the carburettor suffering a stuck float in China - neither exactly game stoppers. I guess the moral of this is that, like many cars, they like to be used, rather than left standing. And as a unique and imperious way to cross continents, there's not a lot that can touch an old Silver Shadow - even in an unusual shade of lemon yellow. Certainly, the Corvette I took along as my contribution to the convoy wasn't remotely on the same level, even if it was marginally better off road:
The ability to do this type of thing reduces every year as demonstrated by the photo taken n Dontesk
Road trips to Persia were possible in the '60s
Edwardian cars did Peking to Paris
Nowadays, a trip to the Nuburgring is routinely described as 'epic' .....
Sat in a Shadow and a Turbo R yesterday
The usual things applied (vault-like build quality etc) and the way the doors and boot opened and closed is just sublime
But.
And it’s a bit bigger than that belonging to Jennifer Lopez
The interior is incredibly well finished but incredibly cramped compared to what I was expecting
I’m 6’ so about average and I felt like I was sat on rather than in the car (particularly the Turbo R);
Is it that cars have got bigger in the intervening years or that people have got larger?
But I still would have a Shadow of any flavour, preferably metallic bronze or dark green.
The usual things applied (vault-like build quality etc) and the way the doors and boot opened and closed is just sublime
But.
And it’s a bit bigger than that belonging to Jennifer Lopez
The interior is incredibly well finished but incredibly cramped compared to what I was expecting
I’m 6’ so about average and I felt like I was sat on rather than in the car (particularly the Turbo R);
Is it that cars have got bigger in the intervening years or that people have got larger?
But I still would have a Shadow of any flavour, preferably metallic bronze or dark green.
Not my cup of tea, but it does look a lovely thing. I'll leave judgement on if it is to members who know them better, such as Bispal.
The leather has almost certainly had a re-trim, if not it's been fastidiously looked after. It would be easy to tell, Rolls's of this era used thicker hides than trimmers use nowadays.
The leather has almost certainly had a re-trim, if not it's been fastidiously looked after. It would be easy to tell, Rolls's of this era used thicker hides than trimmers use nowadays.
A lovely thing, although I would chose a different colour and avoid whitewalls.
I ran a Shadow 1 for a number of years back in the early 2000s; mostly as a Sunday afternoon car, but as a daily for a short while. Waftyness which would thoroughly shame my Airmatic Benz E350 and surprisingly better through the twisties than you might think, if you can cope with the body roll.
They absolutely need regular use to avoid brake calipers seizing, etc.
I ran a Shadow 1 for a number of years back in the early 2000s; mostly as a Sunday afternoon car, but as a daily for a short while. Waftyness which would thoroughly shame my Airmatic Benz E350 and surprisingly better through the twisties than you might think, if you can cope with the body roll.
They absolutely need regular use to avoid brake calipers seizing, etc.
Fermit said:
Not my cup of tea, but it does look a lovely thing. I'll leave judgement on if it is to members who know them better, such as Bispal.
The leather has almost certainly had a re-trim, if not it's been fastidiously looked after. It would be easy to tell, Rolls's of this era used thicker hides than trimmers use nowadays.
The leather is indeed thicker and is of a quality that we simply don't see now (including in modern RR). It's incredibly durable and responds brilliantly to a bit of love. Most - as in the vast majority - have original leather and a refurb often leaves it looking mint.The leather has almost certainly had a re-trim, if not it's been fastidiously looked after. It would be easy to tell, Rolls's of this era used thicker hides than trimmers use nowadays.
A proper retrim would cost a bloody fortune and most look pretty dismal because they're simply not done right.
ettore said:
Most - as in the vast majority - have original leather and a refurb often leaves it looking mint.
I know, having refinished Rolls leather in a professional capacity on many occasions 
I'm always wary of owners of old Rolls (for work) they're a weird lot, often wanting a lemonade price for a champagne product.
Not suggesting it’s in the same league as a Silver Shadow, but I have just bought this equally yellow beastie for £4.5K - very simple machine by modern standards and there are no individual components that will bankrupt you if they fail. Owned it for less than 3 weeks and despite having a long list of minor issues to work through, it is brilliant fun.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff