It’s always interesting when a celebrity-owned automobile hits the marketplace, and we have featured quite a few of them over the years here at Barn Finds. It’s fun to hear what our readers have to say about how much value, if any, the star-status potentially adds to the bottom line. However, things can get complicated when it’s up to the buyer to determine whether that vehicle was, in fact, undeniably owned by the famous person it’s thought to have belonged to. That seems to be the case with this 1978 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II, located in San Leandro, California. This one is thought to have been previously under the ownership of Joan Rivers, so if you’re a fan of The Queen of the Barbed one-liners or just looking for a seventies Rolls to work on, this one can be spotted here on eBay. So far, the opening bid of $500 hasn’t been placed, or you can buy it now for $6,500.
The seller provides two nuggets about the past ownership for this RR, including a sentence under the vehicle details that reads, “Reportedly previously owned by Joan Rivers.” The second is a black-and-white photograph of a photograph that bears what appears to be the autograph of the famous comedian, though there’s no explanation of its significance as it relates to the sale here. I also didn’t have much luck finding additional information online. Perhaps the best evidence might be hidden in the DNA on the seat coverings, but the material is cracking and will need to be replaced if the buyer chooses to restore the Rolls, so you’d better put the old leather in a bag for safekeeping and hold onto it for future testing.
It’s noted that this Rolls has been sitting and isn’t currently running, with the mechanical condition described as unknown. There are also no photos of the engine or bay area, so how things look inside that compartment remains a mystery. However, the exterior appears to be solid for the most part, with no obvious dents or body corrosion that I could immediately spot anywhere. A few minor paint chips and some clear-coat cracking are reported, but it probably wouldn’t take much effort to prep this one for a respray.
The dash seems like it’s spent enough time in the California sun to have developed a significant amount of brittleness, but the instruments appear to have fared much better, and that beautiful steering wheel has survived exceptionally well. For my own evaluation, I think the possible celebrity association for this one is worth zero, and the unknown mechanical condition makes me envision repairs with dollar signs about as big as Los Angeles County. However, I am digging that the sheet metal appears good and the interior presents well overall. What are your thoughts here?
And…auction ended.
i love to drive one.
Can we talk? At this point, any claimed celebrity connection is moot. This is a RR that doesn’t run and will take lots of money to get back on the road. While I don’t see the dashboard damage stated in the one photo provided, the interior looks pretty nice…as does the body. But who knows what it’s going to cost to fix the drive train ? As is often said, there’s nothing more expensive than a cheap Rolls.