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1986 Rolls-Royce Corniche II

The basic shape and design penned by John P. Blatchley for the 1966 Silver Shadow would endure in its basic concept well into the 1990s. From the start, a drophead coupe was incorporated into the mix, but it wasn't until 1971 that these special cars, along with an exclusive fixed-head coupe, would wear the name 'Corniche.' Rolls-Royce entrusted its final coach-built model to its in-house coachbuilder Mulliner, Park Ward. Incremental improvements were added over the wheels, including a slightly longer wheelbase and improved steering in 1977 with the rack and pinion setup.

The well-equipped Corniche came with nearly every motoring accessory or convenience, leaving the owner to select just the exterior colors and custom interior accouterments, decor, and appointments.

The Series II was introduced in 1986 and came with improved braking, federally required collision avoidance lights on the rear deck, and refinements in the electronics.

Production of the Rolls-Royce Corniche hardtop coupe lasted from 1971 to 1980 and as a convertible from 1971 to 1995 - and from 1999 to 2002. The name 'Corniche' had originally been used on a 1939 prototype based on the Bentley Mark V, with its design created in collaboration with French designer Georges Paulin and built by Carrosserie Vanvooren. Due to the onset of World War II, the project was shelved, but the name was registered for future use.

Rolls-Royce Corniche I

Production of the Corniche I began in 1971 and continued through 1987. A Bentley version, known as the Bentley Continental, was produced from 1984 to 1995.

The Rolls-Royce Corniche rested on a 119.75-inch wheelbase, growing slightly to 120 inches in 1974 and then to 120.5 inches in 1979. The chassis was suspended by an independent setup with coil springs and a hydraulic self-leveling system. Disc brakes were at the front and rear, with ventilated discs arriving in 1972.

The engine was the standard Rolls-Royce V8 with aluminum cylinder heads with cast iron wet cylinder liners, an aluminum-silicon alloy block, twin SU carburetors, a 4.1-inch bore, and a 3.9-inch stroke for a total displacement size of 6,750cc (6.75 liters). In some markets, the SU carbs were later replaced with a single Solex 4A1 four-barrel carburetor in 1977. Export models used the twin SU setup through 1980 when replaced by Bosch KE/K-Jetronic fuel injection. The three-speed automatic transmission was a Turbo Hydramatic 400 unit sourced from General Motors.

From 1971 to 1981, Rolls-Royce produced 1,108 examples of the Saloon and 3,224 of the convertible, for a total of 4,332 units.

The Rolls-Royce Corniche II

The Corniche II name was used beginning in 1986 for the United States market cars and for other markets from 1988. A total of 1,234 examples were built. The Corniche II introduced improvements to its braking and mandatory safety equipment. The interior gained redesigned instrumentation and redesigned seats later in 1988.

The Rolls-Royce Corniche III

At the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1989, Rolls-Royce introduced its Corniche III, remaining in production through 1993 with 452 units built. Resting on the 120.5-inch wheelbase and powered by a 6.75-liter OHV engine with MK-Motronic fuel injection, they wore color-coded bumpers and rode on new alloy wheels. The suspension system was improved, and the dashboard, seats, and console were revised.

The Rolls-Royce Corniche IV

Rolls-Royce selected the North American International Auto Show in Detroit as the location for introducing its Corniche IV. Revealed in January 1992, production would continue through 1995. Since Mulliner Park Ward was closing in 1994, production was moved to Crewe.

The Rolls-Royce Corniche IV had adaptive suspension, a four-speed 4L80-E automatic transmission, and the previous plastic rear window was now glass. Safety improved via driver and passenger airbags, and the air conditioning was now a CFC-free system. Updates to the engine in August of 1993 increased horsepower by approximately twenty percent.

Rolls-Royce created two special edition models of 25 cars each, the first being an anniversary version, and all were finished in Ming Blue with a cream hood with a silver plaque on the dash. The second special edition was known as the Corniche S. These were the final 25 Corniche IV models built and came with a turbocharged engine and a dashboard plate.

The Rolls-Royce Corniche V

Production of the Corniche V lasted from January 2000 to August 2002, and a total of 384 examples were built, including the final 45 examples designed as Final Series Corniches.

by Dan Vaughan

Convertible Coupe
Chassis number: SCAZD42A2GCX13409
Engine number: 13409

This 1986 Rolls-Royce Corniche II was ordered new through Symbolic Motors in San Diego, California, and wore Acrylic White with Double Sandlewood fine lines, a Cream convertible top, Sandlewood hides with Magnolia piping, and Cumberland Stone carpets with Sandlewood trim. Options include trimming the top roll, instrument board roll, underdash trim and radio surround in Sandlewood leather. It received lambswool mouton carpets, cocktail requisites in the doors, and rode on Michelin tires.

The car's first owners were Hal and Anastasia Moore, and it remained in the San Diego area through 2000 when it relocated to the Orlando, Florida area. In 2007, it was exported to the United Kingdom and entered the current owner's collection a few years later. For the past decade, this Rolls-Royce has been on static display. It currently has 57,675 miles on the odometer.

This Corniche II is powered by a 6,750cc overhead valve V8 engine with Bosch fuel injection and delivering 240 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. It has a three-speed manual transmission, an independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes.

by Dan Vaughan

The Rolls-Royce styling department designed a beautiful, elegantly shaped two-door coupe derivative of the Silver Shadow, which was engineered and produced by Mulliner Park Ward. When launched in March 1996 it was priced at 9,849 pounds, nearly 3,300 pounds more than the standard four-door saloon. This was followed 18 months later by a convertible version priced at 11,511 pounds. Both of these Mulliner Park Ward models were relaunched as the Corniche in 1971 with technical improvements.

The Corniche underwent extensive development over the years although it remained little changed outwardly. It benefited from the improvements introduced on the Silver Shadow II and in 1988 cosmetic changes were sufficient for it to be designated Corniche II.

1990 saw the arrival of the Corniche III with alloy wheels and MK Motronic engine management system. The Corniche IV of 1992 again retained the look of its predecessors, but adaptive suspension and four-speed automatic transmission had been introduced. The final incarnation was the Corniche IV Anniversary model, the Corniche S, of which only 25 were made.

by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

by Rolls-Royce

First introduced in 1966, the name 'Park Ward two-door' was first given to the trailblazing Convertible, eventually renamed the 'Corniche'. The Corniche was a dramatic departure for Rolls-Royce from the standard steel Silver clouds to the newer and smaller Silver Shadow platforms.

The new generation of two-door vehicles was squinty-eyed with sloping inset grilles that brought instant success to the Rolls. Produced between 1971 and 1996, the Corniche was Rolls-Royce's coupe and convertible version of the Silver Shadow. Assembled and finished in London at Mulliner Park Ward as the continuation of the 1965 Silver Shadow coupe and 1967 drophead, the model featured the Corniche name was applied in 1971. Sold as a Bentley, that model was renamed and known as the Continental in 1984. Due to the onset of World War II, the first car to wear the Corniche name, a 1939 prototype based on the Bentley Mark V, was never produced.

The coupe Corniche was discontinued in 1982. Utilizing the standard Rolls-Royce V8 engine, the Corniche had an aluminum-silicon alloy block and aluminum cylinder heads with cast iron wet cylinder liners. While the bore was 4.1 inches, the stroke was 3.9 inches to achieve a total of 6.8 L. Introduced in 1975, twin SU carburetors were originally fitted with a single Solex 4-barrel carburetor. Until 1980 export models retained the twin SU's when Bosch fuel injection was added.

Standard was a 3-speed automatic transmission which was a Turbo Hydramatic 400 that was sourced from GE. Augmented with a hydraulic self-leveling system, a four-wheel independent suspension with coil springs was originally on all four, but later in the rear wheels only. For 1972, four-wheel disc brakes were specified, with ventilated discs.

Originally using a 119.75 wheelbase, in 1974 this was extended to 120 inches and 120.5 in 1979.

For 1986 the Corniche II was revised slightly with the replacement of alloy and rubber bumpers instead of chrome ones. An oil cooler was added to the new model, while an aluminum radiator was substituted. Airbags were not available in the model, but ant-lock brakes became standard. New style rims were added, along with a new reverse warning lens type and pattern around the rear license plate. Other updates included newly-designed seats and a redesigned dash. All Corniche II's were convertibles, and the Bentley model lost its closed coupe option in 1982.

In 1989 the Corniche III debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a following to the Corniche line. The major change for this generation was the addition of airbags as a standard feature. The bumpers were now displayed in a fitting body color paint job, rather than black. A more updated advanced suspension system was fitted in the new Corniche II. Once again, the dashboard was updated this time along with the console.

In 1993 the Corniche IV was introduced and production was moved to Crewe following the shutdown of Mulliner Park Ward. Upgrading from the old plastic rear window, the new Corniche featured a brand new glass rear window. No manual latching was required anymore, and the CFC-free air conditioning was specified, along with driver and passenger airbags.

The final 25 Corniche models in 1995 were named the Corniche S and were all Turbocharged.

In January 2000, the fifth generation of Corniche vehicles debuted. With a base price of $359,900, this new model was the most expensive vehicle offered by the company at this time. A total of 4347 of these models were produced. This new generation marked the first step into the new century for Rolls-Royce.

The Corniche V featured front and rear styling that showed a design developed from the mainstream model Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph. The new model was set onto the platform used for Bentley Azure, with a wheelbase of 3.061 mm. The unique identity of the drophead coupe was accentuated by a swaging from the top of the front wing to the bottom of the rear wing.

Completely set apart from the mainstream model, the new Corniche was powered by the well-proven 6.75 liter V8-engine with origins dating back to the fifties of the previous century. Introduced in 1959 with the introduction of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, Rolls-Royce Phantom V, and the Bentley S2, the engine had been kept up to date by careful development. The engine provided enormous torque that provided 738Nm at 2,1000rpm. The V8 engine was much heavier than the aluminum V12-engine. The Corniche weighed an astounding 2,735kg, which was 400 kg more than the basic four-door model with its V12-engine.

The last model developed at the Crewe factory, the Rolls-Royce Corniche was designed in the true Rolls-Royce philosophy with an interior that was luxurious and comfortable, a hallmark of the marque.

by Jessican Donaldson