Description
1972 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1 MK1 - 6750cc V8 Automatic - Long Wheel Base & Original Chrome Bumpers (Not Rubber)
This is my fathers beloved Rolls Royce. By beloved, I mean to say that he has driven her as an every day daily driver for around three years and she has been an extension of himself. He admires it, was almost inseparably from it and I can’t express his sadness in parting with it.
Parting with it is out of his control, my father developed an eye condition and my family have, with the greatest difficulty, pushed him into a smaller car that is more manoeuvrable for him and more suitable to the parking at his new accommodation. He is beside himself about the sale.
Throughout the last three years of daily driving the Rolls hasn’t missed a beat and has been a remarkable daily driver for him, far exceeding expectations. I imagine few Rolls are used as daily drivers, even fewer will have been as reliable. He has covered approximately five or six miles per day, covering four or five thousand miles in total.
Her reliability is probably due to her history, he purchased the Rolls from a gentleman who had owned it for several decades. He was everything you wanted to see from a previous owner; an avid car collector (8-10 classics) and specifically a Rolls Royce enthusiast, he had even built his own workshop equipped for the Rolls. It seems to be and have been a well looked after and a well loved vehicle.
A lot of the admiration comes from the fact that she is a Mk1 with the large classical chrome bumpers, opposed to the later rubber bumpers and all of the luxuries you get with a Rolls Royce of the period. She is the LWB which makes her more comfortable and perfect for weddings. She also has the higher powered engine, I think they increased the power half way through MK1 production (according to wiki). Some online research suggests that she would have been purchased for approximately £12, 000 in 1972 which in todays money would be £198, 500! That is crazy. Being white, she would be a lucrative asset for weddings, occasional or full time.
My father has used her for the occasional wedding very successfully (just word of mouth and friends). He parked her at the coffee shop most days and would be frequented with wedding requests. She would be the perfect wedding car with little or no expenditure and such would be very lucrative I imagine with local companies charging £250-350+ per wedding, she could be a great asset to the right person or company. I considered such, did my maths and for a few hours per week you could earn enough to live a happy life, or employ a driver and just earn, but my father can't bear to see her and not drive her.
Condition
Attending to her condition, I would describe her as a very good example, albeit a classic car which will, naturally, have signs of age and wear and tear to all mechanical parts undoubtedly.
Her bodywork is very good with beautiful shiny paint and no corrosion. Underneath she looks solid. Mechanically, she’s been driven daily and has been faultless for my father during his ownership, albeit has a very slight oil drip (British classics). Inside she is luxurious, but has usual damage to her drivers seat (usual split as photographed) and some light wear add tear in other places within her interior, mainly in the front, the back looks to have been rarely used. I would recommend changing her rear windscreen rubber as that has seen better days, although remains water tight.
Mileage
Her speedometer reads only 32, 000 miles. Her mileage was around 27, 000 I think when my father got her. The previous long term keeper assured me that the mileage was genuine, albeit we don’t have enough paperwork to verify this. Interestingly, when we got her she was still on, what my father believes to be, her original tyres as per their date stamp.
MOT & Tax Exempt
She is exempt from MOT, Tax and ULEZ charges. This means that tax is free, you don’t have to pay ULEZ and there is no requirement to MOT her. My father hasn’t MOT’d her in his ownership.
Valuing Her
Value wise, we have no idea how to value her. Similar Shadow 1’s with none rubber bumpers in “good road going condition” range from £12, 000 to £30, 000+. On the lesser end of the scale they seem to be of odd colours (shades of brown or green), usually rusty and often have various shades of paint repairs as well as worn interiors. She does have a small amount of interior wear, but her bodywork is very nice and she’s certainly in the best colour if you wanted to make use of a lucrative business opportunity. I have a month or two to sell her before I lose storage so I’m not in a great rush and I have just chosen a price which seems more than reasonable, relative to other examples.
Viewing
Please come and view her. I can be available anytime.
Selling Her
I am just listing her on behalf of my father and this is not a business sale; just a family favour. There wouldn't be any warranty with her and my garage is actually closing down shortly. We can't offer credit or finance facilities. Please do come and see her.
