The Silver Shadow was Rolls-Royce’s full-size luxury automobile built from 1965 to 1980. They were all 4-door sedans except for 35 coupes that English coachbuilder James Young Ltd completed in 1966 and 1967 (a smaller number were also badged as Bentley’s). The seller’s car is one of those rarities, complete with right-hand drive, but in non-operating condition. Some interior work had been started and the noble R-R grille is missing. Residing now in a field in Farmington, New Mexico, this hand-built novelty is available here on eBay where the reserve is unmet at $4,050.
James Young Ltd was not the only coachbuilder to turn a 4-door Silver Shadow into a 2-door. Mulliner Park Ward, a Rolls-Royce subsidiary, also pulled that hat trick, resulting in a coupe with considerably wider doors. But with both builders, the front and rear ends of the cars were left alone. Mechanically, the automobiles were unchanged, using a 380 cubic inch V8 with a 4-speed automatic transmission. 50 of them were assembled with R-R or Bentley insignias, 70% from Rolls-Royce.
We assume that since so few of these were built, they all came with right-hand-drive. Meaning that this one was likely imported by an individual rather than R-R. The seller has no history on the car other than it came out of Colorado before arriving in New Mexico. Besides the missing bright work up front, the door panels have been removed suggesting that some interior work had been started, though things look otherwise nice inside. The paint looks rather clean, but has the roof start to severely crack?
The seller thinks the starter is stuck from being in storage for a long time. He/she hooked up a jumper and the solenoid responded but the engine did not turn over. While the seller plans to dig into that issue further, that may not be the case before the auction closes. A Rolls-Royce of this vintage is seldom seen in the U.S. and a 2-door James Young “saloon” is even harder to come by. If you were looking for rare and unusual, this automobile should qualify.
Not for the faint of heart or light of wallet. If you can’t afford a pristine Silver Shadow, then you can’t afford this project, either.
The purchase price will be the least expensive part of that project!
You know, like the A-H at Copart, seeing a beater RR just is so out of kilter. An automobile of this magnitude shouldn’t be here, yet, time marches on, and here we are. I couldn’t even imagine the nightmares that await the next owner.
All I see – along with the weeds – in the void where the grille used to be is many many dollar signs. What the grille would cost to replace alone makes my mind swirl. This is a shame. Someone once mentioned on here many of the really fancy and expensive cars of the past – like 90’s BMW 850 coupes, for example – go to the crusher once the second owner reaches an expensive repair or round of maintenance because the work will cost more than the car’s market value, which makes the car more rare yet. It’s a weird cycle.
I was curious, so I looked up some ’67 Rolls grills on eBay. They aren’t that bad, pricewise:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&_nkw=front+grill+for+1967+Rolls-Royce+Silver+Shadow&_sacat=0
$1600 for a good one with the little statuette intact. Still, that kinda car is not for me.
In the late ’60s, a family friend — everyone called him Luck — was delivering a brand new Rolls to a client-friend of his when the car broke down 40 miles from its final destination. A patient man, he walked 20 miles to a pay phone and called Rolls Royce. When he finally connected to the proper party (they transferred him about six times), he told the Rolls rep what had happened, that he’d broken down and the car needed to be towed to the correct facility, and Luck wanted to know where that would be. The rep repeatedly claimed, in his overweening British accent, to not understand what my friend (a former AF Major and fighter pilot turned civilian test pilot) was saying. Becoming exasperated, Luck described again that the Rolls had broken down [in location X] and needed a tow to an approved garage. And the Rolls rep again claimed not to understand. “What don’t you understand?” Luck finally asked. “Sir,” the Rolls rep began pedantically, “A Rolls does not BREAK. Therefore, what you are saying makes no sense whatsoever.” Luck just stood there in the middle of nowhere, staring at the dusty payphone. “Well,” he said, “you can pick up your unbroken car on the side of the road [in location X] and explain to the guy who shelled out $225,000 for it why it’s not broken on the side of the road in [location X]. Good luck.” He hung up on the guy and spent two days schlepping back to the base. Rolls Royce eventually sent out two mechanics to repair the car on the side of the road — at night, so no one would see, apparently — and denied the entire affair. They even paid Luck $19,000 to keep quiet about it.
(NOTE that Rolls Royce makes and REMOTELY MONITORS *all* (all) engines they manufacture for jet aircraft, all over the world. Every. Single. One. So, ask them about missing Flight MH370. You’ll get some uncomfortable looks, but I digress.)
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I shudder to think what It would cost to restore.
Just replace the grill with a Bentley Grill or the same grill as the
Barnfinds Oct 26, 2023
Rare Restoration Project: 1923 Bugatti
,,,or buy one on Amazon for $24.99.
This is one of those cars that seems like it would make more sense to restomod than try to actually restore. Or, dare I say it, even as a donor for an electric conversion? If one just wanted to be able to amble around the neighborhood in visual splendor. Though replacing the grille ( kind of the best part) may end up costing more than the rest of the donor.
Farmington may not be the end of the world, but you can see it from there. Whoever left this unusual car there was probably in the “awl bidness.” Run ads in the Rolls-Royce clubs, and someone will rescue it.
The original grill was probably grafted on to a Volkswagen Beetle.
Sadly, you are probably correct.
Reading the comment about the starter makes me think the engine is seized. Why else would it be sitting in a field?
April 1st was almost a week ago!
$1400 for a grill on e-bay right now. You’re welcome!
All I see is a money pit.
SY series coupes are indeed rare, but RHD examples in this part of the world but suffer from much lower desirability and values. Most buyers also prefer updated later versions with larger engine (6.75 litre), TH400 transmission, rack and pinion steering, deleted front suspension hydraulics, improved HVAC, etc.
The missing parts, and extensive recommissioning, rebuilding, and restoration costs make this car a losing prospect. Sadly, it may well end up as a parts car.
I agree with most of the comments..If someone really wanted a coupe, a Corniche would be obviously, esp in light of the many correct comments about resto costs vs buying a really decent car.
At least with the RHD, you could much more easily hand over the Grey Poupon mustard, to the next driver who asks.
Or deliver the mail.
All I see is a work of art.
I think it would be fun to Tinker with and see if I can get it running then just drive it and not restore it.
Someone in Oregon just won the Powerball. Send them this link.
😂😂😂
Interior work started? Or starting to parts out the car? A shame to dismantle it entirely for the part another needs.
At this point, I dont a restomod is likely more reasonable than a full restoration. Put in a reliable domestic engine, finish it off nicely and repaint and it could be a very nice, classy driver for under 25k. The generation that reveres these cars is rapidly passing on so the chances of recouping anything more is slim.
ahhhih, Y do the good ones all ways seem 2B RHD, easy to adapt to drvin, so very useless on LHD roads: B they rural (curves), urban (traffic) or suburban (every drive thru/toll/etc).
Bears lookin into for the fun of it, as keeper, or sales (recover ur labor only I’m thinkin @ this point).
One of 1/2 doz makes I’d like to have to tinker 1, 2 mo, drive’n sell? One of the sorts of co. like coparts seems to like to tempt (I never succumb due to their sales process, $ is all ways fine – till U get into all the hidden costs).
LHD? I’d B researchin…
I’m not sure I understood more than 20 percent of your comment. I think I probably agree with you, but like the Wise Old Owl in the Tootsie Roll ads, the world will never know.
I think it’s Genuine Frontier Gibberish. Just like in Blazing Saddles.
Thomas Crown Affair car! Steve McQueen ! Great movie great car. Didn’t realize that they were that rare!
Of the 35 RR versions made (15 Bentleys were also produced), approximately 8 were LHD. These are rare and were only produced in 66 an 67. As with the sedans, all LHD versions had the US spec 3 speed automatic and AC. Like all shadows, restoration costs are very high, and sadly the market does not value them enough to make extensive restoration cost effective. This will be a labor of love for someone, but something so rare should be restored.
You deleted my comment?? Why?
Because they have to the “Lord-given Power”!
I recall an old saying about vintage Rolls Royce ownership (that has also been used regarding both horse and boat ownership): ” The best two days of RR ownership are the day you buy it and the day you sell it”…
From my experience, it was certainly true about horse ownership! I suspect it may be true in the case of this car as well….
best
bt
Perfect as a resto-rod!