1973 Rolls-Royce Corniche I
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Year of manufacture1973
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Car typeOther
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Chassis numberDRH17461
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Engine number17461
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Lot number434
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DriveRHD
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ConditionUsed
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Exterior brand colourNugget Gold
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Number of seats2
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Location
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Exterior colourOther
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GearboxAutomatic
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Drivetrain2wd
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Fuel typePetrol
Description
Guide price: ??70000 - ??80000.
- Finished in Regency Bronze with fine lines in cream and trimmed with Magnolia Connolly hide
- The carpets were specified in Honey Gold with matching lambswool over rugs
- Three previous owners and 29,000 miles. Fastidiously looked after since it left Crewe in 1974
- The history folder is extensive, with every service invoice from day one neatly filed
- All of the handbooks, warranty card, build sheets, toolkit and jack are present
- Totally original and untouched in every respect. Remarkable
Rolls-Royce's final coachbuilt models were entrusted to the company's in-house coachbuilder, Mulliner Park Ward. These two-door cars were hand built in the best traditions of British coachbuilding, using only materials of the finest quality, including Wilton carpeting, Connolly hides and burr walnut veneers, a necessarily lengthy process that took all of 20 weeks for the saloon and slightly longer for the more complex convertible. This painstaking attention to detail resulted in a price some 50% higher than the standard Silver Shadows. Nevertheless, demand for these more glamorous alternatives to the much more numerous Silver Shadow was strong right from the start, a state of affairs that resulted in them being given their own model name - 'Corniche' - in March 1971.The well-tried aluminium V8 engine was adopted, displacing 6,750cc, driving through a Turbo Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic gearbox. For the Corniche variant, power output was enhanced by about 10%, providing greater torque and giving the car a top speed in the order of 118mph with sports car beating acceleration to match. The independent coil spring suspension provided the smoothest of rides, complemented by a hydraulic self-levelling system in the rear.Chassis DRH17461 was ordered new by a Mr GW.P of Alnwick on 29/08/73 in the striking combination of Regency Bronze with fine lines in cream and trimmed with Magnolia Connolly hide. The carpets were specified in Honey Gold with matching lambswool over-rugs and a fire extinguisher was requested to be fitted to the passenger footwell. Mr P took delivery of his new Corniche on 16/05/74 through JRJ Mansbridge Rolls-Royce of Lincoln and registered it on his personal plate, GWP1. The Corniche remained in Mr P's family until 11/07/07 at which point it had only covered 19,000 miles. Mr N.S of Southend on Sea became the second owner and kept the car for three years until he passed it onto its most recent owner, a Mr A.W of Knightsbridge on 13/02/10.The car's service records indicate that over the years servicing was taken care of by JRJ Mansbridge, Mann Egerton, P&A Wood and most recently by The Chelsea Workshop. We understand from our vendor that the car will be serviced by a Rolls-Royce specialist prior to the sale. The current indicated mileage is 29,000. The history folder is extensive, with every service invoice from day one neatly filed. Also present in the file are several old MOTs and correspondence between Mr P and the factory. All of the handbooks, warranty card, build sheets, toolkit and jack are present. Everything works perfectly right down to the original eight-track cassette player.This stunning Corniche is totally original and untouched in every respect having been fastidiously looked after since it left Crewe in 1974. It's never been painted, Connollised, retrimmed or messed about with in any way shape or form and remains in the most incredible preserved condition.