Description
Kelham Hall | Newark, Nottinghamshire
Viewing: Tues 16th June from 12pm
Auction: Wed 17th June from 9am
Location: Main Street, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG23 5QX
1977 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I
Just one owner and 600 miles!
Estimate
£70, 000 - £90, 000
Registration No: SDU 999R
Chassis No: SRH25904
MOT: Exempt
Purchased new by the vendor from P. J. Evans of Birmingham, and specified with knee roll and console trimmed in hide, and whitewall tyres
Remarkably, just 604 miles from new!
Extremely original, boasting its entire factory paintwork, interior, and mechanicals (save for consumables)
Offered with a history file including the original book pack, sales invoice, sales literature, previous MOT certificates, and more
Surely unrepeatable with this mileage, ownership, and originality!
Launched in 1965, the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was a bold departure for the Crewe company. Their first monocoque design, it also benefited from olio-pneumatic rear suspension, power disc brakes and GM's silken 400 series automatic gearbox (though the latter was not adopted until 1968). Such 'new technology' did not encroach on the luxurious interior with its sumptuous leather hides, rich wood veneers and deep lambswool carpets. Performance from the smooth 6, 230cc V8 engine (upgraded to 6, 750cc in 1970) was assured, the car wafting forward on a seemingly unstoppable wave of torque. Still immensely cosseting to drive, Shadows offer a genuinely different ownership experience to their mass-made peers.
Silver Shadows were built in relatively large numbers for a Rolls-Royce and they have a high survival rate, so finding a good example should not be difficult. We very much doubt another one will come to the market that’s as good as this one, though – as an all-original, supremely well-preserved example from the last year of Shadow I production, which has had just one owner and covered only 600 miles from new, we can confidently proclaim it to be a unique opportunity.
Finished in Walnut paint with Beige hide, ‘SDU 999R’ was sold new to our vendor through the Leyland distributor P. J. Evans Ltd. in Birmingham. It still presents as ordered, with whitewall tyres, and the knee roll and console covered with hide. Our vendor was, at the time, running his own Chrysler/ Rootes dealership in Warwickshire, and the new Rolls-Royce set him back £16, 897. 75 before tax.
The Shadow saw the majority of its use within the first few months of its life, as evidenced by the one and only service stamp, which was issued by P. J. Evans at 412 miles in November, 1977. Subsequent use amounted to just a few dozen miles per year, or less, until the car was placed into storage after 590 miles in 1993 (there were several years when it was not used at all). It was woken up again in 1998 for the vendor’s daughter’s wedding, bringing its total mileage up to 604.
To suppose that the Rolls-Royce simply languished thereafter would be to grossly underestimate the vendor. Besides being a main dealer, he has always been a very sympathetic enthusiast and in more recent years he has turned to collecting important historic cars, with a particular fondness for unrestored, low-mileage examples. As soon as the Shadow came off the road in 1993, it went into a climate-controlled garage, where it has been preserved on axle stands and underneath a tailored cover. As such, we are advised that the car is entirely original mechanically (save for the service parts) and also cosmetically, with the single exception of the coach line. That was polished off, so Rolls-Royce sent a man to refinish it. The vendor tells us that the man had two jobs that day—one was his car, and the other belonged to the Sultan of Brunei!
We are pleased to be offering the car fresh from gentle recommissioning. In May, 2026, a former mechanic with Flying Spares cleaned out the fuel system and fitted a new fuel pump and filters, replaced the battery and drained the brake fluid. It was seen to start willingly and run very well during our photograph session, and we would might even go so far as to say it seemed as good as new. However, more thorough recommissioning will be required if it is to go back on the road.
Perhaps the best thing about this car, apart from its condition, is the fact it comes complete with all the factory-supplied literature, plus its original sales invoice from P. J. Evans. Everything Rolls-Royce put into the book pack is still present, and so are eight MOT certificates from the car’s sixteen intermittent years on the road, plus a few tax discs. A small spares package is also supplied.
A true museum-quality piece, this Shadow is fully deserving of a sympathetic owner who will continue to preserve it, and perhaps show it from time to time. We have no doubt that it will receive a very warm reception at Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club events, and it certainly has concours-winning potential.
