1982 Rolls-Royce Corniche

The Corniche was the two-door version of the Silver Shadow, and it was the most successful convertible ever produced by Rolls-Royce. The 'Corniche' name was registered by Rolls-Royce in the 1930s and apparently assigned to a prototype based on the Bentley MKV. The prototype never evolved to a production model due to the onset of World War II. Rolls-Royce finally first employed the moniker in 1971 on the Coupe and Convertible version of the Silver Shadow. Just like the Shadow, it wore an in-house design penned by John Polwhele Blatchley and the floorpan and underbody was crafted by Pressed Steel Fisher. The construction was later entrusted to Mulliner Park Ward of Willesden, London - by then a wholly-owned division of Rolls-Royce. The cars were then transported to the main factory in Crewe for the installation of the running gear before returning back to London for the painting, trimming and finishing. This was a lengthy process that took 20 weeks for the saloon and slightly longer for the more complex convertible.

The Corniche models continued the company's tradition for luxury and exclusivity. They were hand built in the traditions of British coachbuilding and fitted with only the finest quality materials including Wilton carpeting, Connolly hide and burr walnut veneers. This attention to detail resulted in an increase in price by some 50% higher than that of the standard Silver Shadow.

Power was supplied by the company's 6.75-liter V8 engine, which had origins that traced back to the 1950s. It gave the car a top speed in excess of 120 mph. The powerplant was mated to a GM Turbo Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic transmission. Suspension was independent by coil springs all round, augmented by a Citroen-originated hydraulic self-levelling system. Disc brakes provided the stopping power, with the ventilated units being phased in for 1972.

Most of the 2,006 Series II Corniche Convertibles were left-hand drive models sold between 1977 and 1987.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2017