1969 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was Crewe's first 'modern' car, introduced at the Paris Salon in 1965, and employing unitary construction for the first time. (replacing the separate body and chassis construction). Its elegant shape was styled by John Blatchley and his talented team, and it broke new ground for the Crewe Company in several key areas, including the sophisticated fully independent suspension with an advanced self-leveling system, and four-wheel ventilated disc brakes (replacing drums). The high-pressure hydraulic system was licensed from Citroen, initially featuring self-leveling at both ends, but this was deleted from the front in 1969.

The Silver Shadow was completely new, with the only major components carried over from the Silver Cloud III were the all-aluminum 6.2-liter (6230cc) V8 and four-speed automatic transmission with fluid flywheel, the latter was replaced by GM's 400 three-speed unit in October 1968 while the engine was enlarged to 6.75-liters (6750cc) the following year. The company never divulged power output (although the 6230cc V8 was estimated to produce an estimated 172 horsepower), merely listed them as 'adequate.' Coupled with the superior aerodynamics, the Silver Shadow was was more than capable of cruising the motorway at speeds of up to 200 km/h.

The interiors cleverly combined traditional materials and Old World craftsmanship with modern fittings like electric windows. No fewer than eight individual Connolly hides were used to trim the interior of each car and the standard of finish on the upholstery, rich Wilton carpets, and burr walnut veneers were impeccable. Over twenty electric motors powered everything from the radio antenna to adjusting the individual front seats. In all markets except America where it was deemed necessary, air conditioning remained an option. A clever heating and ventilation system allowed occupants to remain comfortable at all times.

With the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, the company returned a profit on a new model for the first time in five decades, and thanks to a strong economy and demand, no less than 16,717 examples were built (including a small number of Bentley T-Series variants) before the revised Series II was introduced in 1977.

A two-door Saloon variant with coachwork by Mulliner Park Ward was made available from 1966, just 606 examples of which were produced before the model morphed into the Corniche in 1971. It is believed that 571 examples of the Mulliner built Coupe and 505 of the Convertible Coupe were built, along with 35 examples of a coupe built by James Young.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020