What is the value of a car once owned by a celebrity? The seller of this four-door 1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow provides documentation showing that Walter Matthau purchased it new for his second wife, Carol. Aside from the celebrity halo, this example has been meticulously maintained and shows fewer than 32k miles on the odometer. Find it here on eBay, bid to $11,000 – barely above prevailing prices for examples in project condition. This Rolls has made its way from California to Greer, South Carolina and its new owner can drive it home. But as nice a car as it is, should the seller expect any premium deriving from Matthau’s ownership?
The celebrity-owned cars shown here were all marketed within the last decade or so; they remain socked away in private collections. The Porsche 917, featured in the movie Le Mans, provides a useful contrast: chassis -024 was used in the movie but not driven by Steve McQueen, and it sold in 2017 for $14 million, while chassis -022, which was driven by the star, failed to sell a year ago to a high bid of $25 million. Some of that gap can be ascribed to inflation, but part of it is actual hands-on use by the kind of star that every car guy respects. Fred Astaire drove the 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spyder in On the Beach, and it sold for $2.53 million in 2011 – a substantial discount to almost every other 750 Monza Spyder sold around then or since. Clark Gable’s Gullwing sold in 2015 for $1.85 million, barely above any other Gullwing sold within a year of that time frame. We’ve all heard, too, about Janis Joplin’s Porsche 356, and the Escort RS Turbo owned by Princess Diana – these sold for big premiums. I’m going to hazard a guess that collectors recall McQueen, Joplin, and Princess Diana more readily than Astaire and Gable. Eventually, memories of the brilliance of celebrities fade. Do Gen Z’ers even know who Clark Gable was?
Whether Walter Matthau’s gift to his wife is worth a premium or not, there’s no question that the car is in wonderful condition. Under the bonnet is Rolls-Royce’s 6.75-liter V8, still fitted with twin SU carburetors. Later cars sold to California would receive fuel injection. The gearbox is GM’s venerable Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic. Disc brakes, a self-leveling suspension system licensed from Citroën, and scads of power accessories delivered a luxury ride justifying the hefty price tag: more than 30,000 Silver Shadows were sold, about four times the number of its predecessor, the Silver Cloud. The seller notes that this car has always been garaged and maintained to specs; recently, “thousands of dollars” were spent on the braking system and other components.
The cabin greets us with leather/wool/wood, like many fine British cars, but executed to a higher standard than most. The original keys, factory floor mats, tool kit, an unused spare tire, and the jack are still present. A new carpet kit for the trunk will accompany the car, and it rides on fresh white-wall tires. In addition to ownership documents, the car comes with its manual and service record booklet.
The Silver Shadow was a “downsized” unibody Rolls, aimed at driver-owners. Its exterior dimensions were 3.5″ narrower and 7″ shorter than the Silver Cloud, but it provided at least as much interior space as its big brother. No part of this example has ever been restored – the seller notes the fine condition of its body panels and original paint. Similar cars are difficult to find: most are in worse condition, show higher mileage, or have acutely expensive needs. The new caretaker may appreciate the consistent maintenance this car has experienced and its originality more than the identity of its previous owners. What do you think?
I love Silver Shadows. In fact, I’ve never met (nor driven) a Rolls-Royce I didn’t like.
These are very underrated if you ask me, being both a pleasure to drive and comfortable, as well as being easy on the eyes and dressed with all the wood, leather and lamb’s-wool a British car enthusiast could ask for. People who have owned them told me they are quite reliable, at least as long as regularly serviced.
I don’t know whether Mrs. Matthau’s ownership adds to the value. Condition is what matters. She seems to have cared for it, which definitely counts, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the next owner pays the same price for it he or she would have laid out for an equivalent car owned by, say, Fred Smith.
By the way: I once drove a Ferrari raced in the Mille Miglia by one Tazio Nuvolari. Most of it, anyway; the story goes that the driver’s seat and one fender (at least) were discarded during the race. I strongly doubt my short time behind the wheel added a dime to its value….
Stay tuned, RayT, I’ve got a special feature coming up for you. Give me 3, 4 days….
This has got to be one of the nicest Silver Shadows we’ve seen in a while. I’m guessing Walters wife didn’t drive this much. While I like him very much, in fact, The Odd Couple theme is running through my head right now as I write this, I don’t know if I’d pay more. However, its a really neat fact that I’d point out at a Cars and Coffee. I always thought it a compliment to GM that Rolls Royce used their THM 400 for their cars. I hope it stays in this condition. Its been cherrished and well cared for.