I’ve never had the pleasure of owning a Rolls-Royce vehicle or even riding around in one for that matter, but nonetheless, it’s easy for me to understand their appeal, and this 1979 Corniche coupe here on eBay sure scores high in the looks department in my eyes. This one’s also got the potential to not break the bank, at least not on the front end, as bidding hasn’t quite reached the $40,000 mark yet and there’s no reserve. But you’d better hurry and get in on the action quickly as there’s not much time left, and make a super-fast jaunt to Scottsdale, Arizona if you want to check the car out in person first.
Rolls began producing their Corniche back in 1971 and it’s one of those unusual instances where the convertible soldiered on longer than the hardtop, with production of the non-droptop examples ending in 1980. It was a fine cruiser from the start but got some refinements in ’77 that included rack and pinion steering in the handling department, bi-level air conditioning for more comfort inside, and an aluminum radiator and engine oil cooler for additional temperature protection under the hood.
I believe what makes this one so desirable from my point of view is its sort of minimalist look on the outside, that is if you can call any car with a grille like this minimal, but I’m just digging the black paint with the lack of excessive chrome adornment except around the windows and the thin piece near the rocker areas. The red pinstripe down the sides is subtle and the way this car is allowed to express itself mainly by just the classy body lines and not too much extra bling is very effective if you ask me. The seller doesn’t say much about the car’s history or whether or not that’s the factory paint, but either way, its appearance seems quite stunning on the outside.
What would concern me the most about acquiring a vehicle like this is keeping it maintained, and although this one’s only been driven 38k miles it did go through a period of sitting from 2006 until just recently. There’s a really informative article on the Classic And Sports Car website that talks extensively about these cars, with a mention of how those 6.5-liter engines can go on forever with proper upkeep but can suffer if neglected, not that this V8 hasn’t been cared for but it obviously has gone for long periods of time without being driven. The author here says to listen for a super-smooth motor sound, and if you hear a rattly top end this can indicate a possibility of some internal issues.
The interior appears like what I’d expect from such a low-mileage car of this caliber, with tasteful thin red striping around the black seats that complement the carpeting inside and pinstripes outside. Pedal wear is light, and check out how small that accelerator is, yet plenty big to step on and get through the gears of the rebuilt Turbo 400. What are your thoughts on this 1979 Rolls-Royce Corniche? Any ideas on how high the bidding will get?
I was selling cars at a Lincoln Mercury dealership in 1985. A customer traded in a 1976 Rolls-Royce for a new Lincoln Town Car. I took the Rolls out for a spin around the block and on the highway. It drove every bit as good as the brand new Lincoln.
It wasn’t until 1977 that I first drove a Rolls-Royce, a new Silver Wraith (long wheelbase version of the Silver Shadow). After having lusted after these cars for so long, I was disappointed that the driving experience was quite similar to my father’s old 1962 Ford Galaxie 500! Now, my 1953 Bentley R Type with a four-speed manual transmission and no power steering etc – now that’s a drivers car! And I can and do fix it too!!
It has a fetching look to it and oozes class from every angle. Would I get this, in theory, to be able to say I’d once owned a Rolls-Royce? Probably not for that (alone) but for everything implied about its solid build. There’d also be maintenance costs to consider and those would be considerable; no band-aid fixes for this classic beauty.
A childish endeavor is spending money
which one does not have. Affordability,
it varies greatly…
She’s a beauty ! I would love to have that in my garage !
Or they could have bought a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and a Lincoln Town Car with change to spare!
Buying one of these is the easiest part of the experience. The really challenging part is finding someone to work on it. Dealers only “service what they sell”. I started to buy one once, but dealer told me I would probably have to go to Ohio (from eastern PA) as no dealer in state (2) would work on it. Ahh, Paradise Lost.
There is actually an active group in the Rolls-Royce Owners Club devoted to these cars and these intrepid individuals maintain and repair their cars themselves. Good advice is available, but they are still quite complicated and thus beyond my interest as I like simple straightforward – any post-war six cylinder Rolls-Royce is thus a very good choice!
I didn’t know there was a RR/Bentley owners club. I have a Bentley Turbo R and would like to join if possible. I live in Ontario, Canada but winter in Arizona. Would you forward any contact info please.
Thank you, Jim Thomason, “jthomason@sympatico.ca”
Just Google rroc.org – they have regional clu s in Canada too.
Big ’70s Fords drove nice & smooth too, like T-bird & Torino.
TH400 probably the best part of the whole package
Outside Air Temperature gauge doesn’t work,
of course you could just roll down the window.
You can kill two birds with one stone. Roll down the window to check the weather AND ask someone at a red light for a bottle of Grey Poupon!!!
One look under the hood is enough to scare me off!
Why would anybody pay so much for hand craftsmanship, fine leather upholstery, genuine burl walnut dash, Wilton wool carpet, etc., when they could have a mass-produced car with vinyl seating, plastic fake wood trim, nylon carpeting, etc. for less and have money left over to add a deck on their single-wide or a family vacation in Branson, MO?
I have never owned a vehicle that was as enjoyable to travel in as my 1992 Range Rover Classic SWB. Best seats, quiet, killer stereo, smooth ride, excellent visibility and on and on. The only things that it didn’t do well was pass gas stations or British specialist shops. I would still own it, but the “$500.00 oil changes” got old after awhile.
I drove a Silver Seraph a couple of weeks ago and it was nice.
The interior is luxurious, the wood is real ,all the materials are top top quality. You just dont get anywhere near that level in a caddy or Lincoln.
The V12 is silly smooth, and as quiet as an electric. Doesn’t knock you back in the seat but you can get ticket really quick if your not careful.
Nothing beats plastic wood interior trim. As far as nightmare maintenance goes, I have a friend who just bought a new Ford midsize pickup (about $40K, I believe). They were just informed that if they hear a metallic sound while driving, turn off the vehicle, as the engine may destroy itself. Not very convenient driving across Arizona on a 110 degree day. They will cover it once the parts are available (someday). At least they don’t have to worry about it burning their house down…
I’ve owned over 30 Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars, 1932 to 1985. Yes, a FEW very wealthy owners of late model Rolls-Royce cars exist who are what you refer to as snooty, but the vast majority of owners bought their car because of it’s superior construction, ride, and overall quality.
I’ve known many more snooty owners of Jaguars, Cadillacs, Mercedes-Benz, and other expensive cars The one thing I used to enjoy doing to snooty owners of other makes, who like to poo-poo me when driving a “lesser car”, is to open my wallet & pull out a vehicle registration card of one of my Rolls-Royces and remind them of how there is always a more expensive car then what they drive.
I used to take a Rolls-Royce limousine to car shows, and always invited the public to sit inside it, provided they asked in advance. I know many Rolls-Royce owners who do the same. Sometimes when I had a person ask if they can ride in the car, I would tell them to come back to the car at the end of the show, and I would give them a ride. I love making a kid’s day [or year] by giving them a ride.
And many of the Rolls-Royce Owner’s Club members are not wealthy, they typically bought their cars because they appreciate the high quality. I’ve bought running R-R and B cars as cheap as $3,500, and non-running examples as cheap as $500.
If they only knew where Rolls got their 3 speed auto transmissions from – the best in the world – not from Europe or Japan.
JoeNYWF64,
Rolls-Royce are not hiding the source of their gearbox, even when they first offered it in 1954, the company mentions the gearbox was made by GM’s Hydramatic Division, albeit to R-R tighter tolerance levels.
The Crewe factory also considered the Packard Ultramatic, but Packard was not that keen in building them for other makes at the time. They looked at the B-W gearbox as well, but was concerned it wasn’t robust enough. GM however was willing to provide fully assembled units to anyone who wanted to buy them.
This is a fairly rare car, as I recall they made about 175 1979 Corniche Coupes. I’ve never seen another Corniche coupe in triple black, without a vinyl top, it might be a 1 of 1.
Coupe Rolls Royces were made long before 1971, they just weren’t called Corniche’s. I was in the process of buying a project barn find 1967 “coke bottle” coupe that I found sitting under a broken tarp for 25 years. But then covid happened and stopped all car purchases. Three years later (today) I’ll bet the old car is still sitting under the ripped up tarp.
The kind of car a Beverley Hills funeral director would drive.
Hmmmm…..do tell us what you spend your extra cash on so that we may judge you as harshly as you do others.
I think it might look better with white-wall tires. Or don’t they do that with a Rolls?
Yeah, I was thinking about that too. I don’t remember ever seeing a Rolls without white-walls before, so the lack of them on this car was surprising. I ultimately decided that, on this particular all-black car, black-walls were the perfect look.
This is the factory “high performance” version, so they turn the whitewalls to the inside…
I’ll take the GREY POUPON and drive a 1991 Grand Wagoneer ..