"The Silver Shadow began production in 1965 and continued until 1980. It was the first Rolls-Royce to be constructed using a monocoque chassis and, to date, has the largest production volume of any Rolls-Royce with over 30,000 built. The original Shadow was slightly narrower and shorter than the Silver Cloud, which it replaced, but managed to offer increased passenger and luggage space thanks to more efficient packaging, made possible by its construction. Aside from a more modern appearance and construction, the Silver Shadow introduced many new features such as disc brakes instead of drum brakes and independent rear suspension rather than the ageing live axle design of previous cars. The car’s most innovative feature was a high-pressure hydraulic system licensed from Citroën, with dual-circuit braking and hydraulic self-levelling suspension. At first, both the front and rear of the car were controlled by the levelling system; the front levelling was deleted in 1969, as it had been determined that the rear levelling did almost all the work. Rolls-Royce achieved a high degree of ride quality with this arrangement.
Being a 1977 car, this example is one of the very last Shadow I’s built. It is beautifully presented in dark green metallic, which the owner believes to have been a special-order colour. The tan hide presents in excellent order, as does the veneer. Our vendor has owned the car since 2008, as part of his private collection, and he reports the car is an absolute joy to drive. The history file shows it has bills totalling in excess of £75,000 since the early 1990’s, showing it has without doubt been in the care of enthusiastic owners. The car was registered to Lord Beaverbrook in September 1990, who looks to have retained ownership until around 1995. Good Silver Shadow’s are becoming increasingly hard to find and this car will certainly turn heads wherever it goes, thanks to its beautiful colour and gleaming chrome.Interested parties should note that the private registration plate shown is to be retained by the vendor and a new, age-related registration issued instead."