For our final one-make Showdown of the week, I thought we’d class the place up a little bit and look at some Rolls-Royces. The British firm has a long and rich history of making some of the finest cars ever, but that doesn’t stop depreciation from hitting them hard. These two are a bit out of our typical price range, but they’re still pretty cheap for what they are.
Yesterday we looked at two Suzukis, one that was sold here new, and one that came in after it got old enough for the government not to care anymore. By more than a two-to-one margin, you chose the 4×4 Vitara that came here through official channels when it was new. The automatic transmissions in both cars sapped some of the fun, but the majority of you felt like it was a bigger sin in the little Alto.
I agree. I think the Alto with an automatic would be a fun curiosity for a little while, but it would get boring quick. A manual would make that car more entertaining for longer. The Vitara should also be a stick for maximum enjoyment, but it’s fine with an automatic. I guess.
I want to start today’s Showdown with a book recommendation: The Perfectionists, by Simon Winchester. It’s an excellent history of precision measurement and its importance in shaping the modern world. It’s a fascinating read, and I think plenty of you would find it as entertaining as I did. The reason I bring it up now is that it includes an entire chapter on Rolls-Royce. In it, I learned that you should always refer to the company by its full name, Rolls-Royce, and never shorten it to just Rolls. Why? Because Henry Royce was the engineer who made the early cars as good as they were. Charles Rolls was mostly just a salesman.
Rolls-Royce cars are more myth than machine these days, since only a select few can afford its now BMW-based offerings. But cars from the 1970s and ’80s can be found for relatively cheap, parked neatly at the bottom of their depreciation curve. They’re expensive to maintain and repair, and sometimes not worth the trouble. But at these prices, the temptation to be able to say “I drive a Rolls-Royce” can be strong. Should you give in? Let’s take a look at a couple of them and find out.
1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – $13,525
Engine/drivetrain: 6.75-liter OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Odometer reading: 23,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Rolls-Royce didn’t actually sell any complete cars until 1949. Before that, you bought a running chassis from Rolls-Royce, and had a coachbuilder put a body on it. In 1965, however, Rolls-Royce jumped into the modern era with this car, the Silver Shadow, which has a unibody design. This car was built for fifteen years, and it’s still the car I think of when somebody says “Rolls-Royce.” Absolutely everybody famous had a Shadow at some point, and now you can have one, too.
Behind that classic waterfall grille and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament is a 6.75-liter V8, with “sufficient” power output. It drives the rear wheels through a GM Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission – yes, the same transmission as in your uncle’s Impala. It’s probably the most reliable part of the whole car. It’s not the only part of this car sourced from another company; it also features a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension system licensed from Citroën. The seller says it runs and drives “exactly as it should,” but doesn’t provide any details.
The end of coachbuilt Rolls-Royces meant a certain degree of personalization was lost, but the possibilities were still extensive. Witness this car’s green (!) leather interior. Green interiors weren’t that uncommon in the ’70s, but typically you’d seen them in green cars, Pintos and Skylarks slathered in green vinyl and fake plastic woodgrain. This isn’t that. This is Connolly leather, wool carpets, and burled walnut. The front seat bottoms need some repair, but the rest of the interior looks really clean. I don’t know what’s up with that steering wheel, though. I’ve never seen one like that in a Shadow before.
It’s in good shape outside, but that added-on bump strip along the side is absolutely criminal. Hopefully it’s just the tape-on kind, and no holes were drilled in the doors. I do kind of wish it were some other color besides white, but I don’t know what else would go with the green interior. Green, I suppose.
1989 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur – $9,900
Engine/drivetrain: 6.75-liter OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Woodland, WA
Odometer reading: 71,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The Silver Shadow was replaced in 1980 by the Silver Spirit, along with a long-wheelbase version called the Silver Spur. It’s largely an evolution of the Shadow, with updated styling and a few technological advancements, but the broad strokes are the same.
Its 6.75-liter V8 is the same as the older model, only this one is fuel-injected. This engine actually existed long before and after this car; it was in production for an astonishing sixty-one years. It’s still backed by a TH400, and the suspension is still hydropneumatic. The seller says it runs and drives well, but it needs new tires; they’ve aged out. And it needs an alignment after the tires are replaced.
The interior is the classic Rolls-Royce concoction of leather, wood, and wool, but in a more sedate color scheme. Everything is power-operated, of course, but it doesn’t all work; the power seats and a couple of windows are inoperable. It wouldn’t be a British car if all the electrics worked, though, would it?
Outside, things are a little weird. This car originally had a vinyl top, but the vinyl has been removed, and the roof has been painted with what the seller calls “black undercoating.” It’s a strange choice. I guess it doesn’t look terrible, but can’t you come up with something better for a car like this?
There are probably more foolish things to spend money on than a fully-depreciated Rolls-Royce, but few as classy. The expensive-to-fix parts of both of these work fine, so you should be good for a while, but the repair bills will catch up to you eventually. Until then, however, you get to see that winged hood ornament guiding you on towards adventure – or maybe just the supermarket for some mustard. Which one would you choose?
Less electrics in a British car, less ‘under’-coating application on completely incorrect surface (the top), more green.
There’s a clear winner here. By winner, I mean less of a loser, because you will lose your house, spouse, savings, and sanity trying to keep either of these going.
One just might do this more slowly.
My grandparents had a 1960 Bentley in the same color scheme as that Shadow, white over green—it works well. The Bentley’s original color was called “Magnolia,” but I’ve never been able to find out what color that actually was.
If the sellers have service records, either would be a good deal, but I prefer the Shadow. I suspect getting the leather brought up to snuff is less expensive than dealing with the Spur’s top, and if the Shadow is carbureted (as it should be) there are a pair of SUs to deal with. I’m okay with SUs. I believe the steering wheel should be two-spoke black Bakelite, and I bet one could be found.
These older Royces — many R-R fanatics prefer that to just “Rolls” — are far more reliable than many believe. They are a little complex, but nothing that can’t be dealt with. Certainly, either would be a better proposition for wrenching than any modern car.
Mainly, they are cool to drive. Or be seen in.
I was all set to vote for the square headlights but that green interior won me over.
I’ll take the Royce Silver, please.
Oh wait, that doesn’t narrow it down much, does it. OK, going with the Spur. It’s slightly cheaper and looks to be in better condition. As for the vinyl-no-more roof, I’ve always thought that undercoating or bed liner might make a decent vinyl replacement. I’d have to see it in person, but looks cromulent in pics.
That “black undercoating” top looks great… for me to poupon.
Your comment is a Triumph!
The car I want is a Rolls-Royce flying spur. It was the Mulsanne Turbo in Rolls Royce trim
I’ll take the Silver Spur. I may have to hire a new chauffeur who fits where the seat currently is since the electrics don’t work, but, that’s a small thing. Those back seats look comfortable and I like the tray tables.
Helped a widow wake up her husband’s hobby ‘70s Rolls fresh out of the barn for quick sale once upon a time. It hadn’t aged well. I hope these are in better shape.
Can I click “both” and transplant the phantasmagoric green interior into the fuel injected car?
I was also thinking both, but was going to put the fuel injected mill in the more classically shaped body without bedliner all over the roof. Bonus is the green interior and working (for now) electrics.
Oh well, this one I’m really torn about. The Silver Shadow has been one of my obsessions since I was a child. But not this one. It’s gotta be UK-spec, pre-74 (with the vents under the headlights). The Silver Spur is okay, but normally I prefer them in a darker shade.
I think I can’t get past the design irk I have with the excessive amount of sheet metal under the Silver Shadow’s headlights; two-tone, upper-four-digit Silver Spur it is.
Both are overpriced so neither.
Hard to choose, I feel like either one needs to be driven by someone in an Arabian outfit and looking for a road rally.
I worked at a dealership in the early 90s that included Roll-Royce. One elder gentleman handled them all, had tools in a roll up pouch, wore white cotton gloves, the whole deal. I had to test drive one after a repair and I was scared to death some idiot in downtown New Orleans was going to hit me.
Had to go for the Silver Shadow because I’m pretty sure that’s Tux the GoBot.
Yikes. That roof on the Spur has been “fixed” cheaply. I’m betting there are other “fixes” that will crop up and make ownership miserable.
And I like the green interior. Gimme the Shadow. The price difference is WORTH it.
tough choice, not sure if the bosch injection or 50 year old carbs with only 20K miles on them scare me more. I guess if the thing is running ok and stopping, then the old one is more attractive to me, green interior be damned.
I’m going with the older one. It’s not less likely to break down, but with no electronic controls the fixes should be somewhat more approachable, certainly at the shadetree level.
Oh no. Oh nonono. I saw the one Wade Dankpods bought on the Garbage Time channel. These will bury anyone whose net worth is less than 7 figures.
I took the older one since, if nothing else, it probably has less things to break.
(Side note: I always daydreamed about dropping one of the late 6.75 turbo motors into a 3/4 ton pickup and seeing how well it pulls.)
The shouty man is kind of a dumbass when it comes to cars. You shouldn’t trust anyone who replaces their engine oil with Yoo-hoo.
Take it all in context.
and well, as long as the mineral oil breaks work, you can pretty easily drop in a 350 SBC and never have to worry about part prices or cost to run it…at least until those brakes fail.
The brakes and suspension would be my main worry. Those seals or lines fail on any of that, and you’re digging into savings…