Estate Find: 1967 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe
Owning a Rolls-Royce is an automotive way of announcing to the world that you are a success. It has been the favored marque of Heads of State for many decades, although few would have chosen this 1967 Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe. That doesn’t make it a lesser vehicle, but most leaders preferred a car with the security of a steel roof. This Shadow is a well-preserved classic that needs a new home to settle an estate. The seller has listed it here on eBay in Marietta, Ohio. Bidding sits below the reserve at $26,900, but with a BIN figure of $30,000 available, I won’t be surprised if someone hits that button.
Rolls-Royce released the Silver Shadow in 1965, marking a radical departure for the company from previous manufacturing practices. Its prior models had employed traditional body-on-frame construction, but the Shadow was its first unibody offering. It retained the company’s classic details, with each car hand-built at the factory in Crewe, England. This car emerged in 1967 and is an original and garage-kept survivor. Its White paint retains the stunning shine referred to as “piano finish.” Unlike most volume car makers, each Rolls was (and still is) wet-sanded and hand-polished before leaving the paint shop to ensure no orange peel or other imperfections. The Gold pinstripe is worthy of mention because Rolls employs a single person to apply the painted stripe by hand to every new car. It always has a trainee on hand, preparing for the day the master craftsman retires. This car’s panels are as straight as an arrow, there are no signs of bumps or bruises, and it remains rust-free. The trim and glass are virtually perfect, and my only criticism is reserved for the White soft-top. It is wrinkled and appears slightly discolored. I’m unsure whether it could be restored or if a new owner seeking perfection would choose replacement as the best option.
The seller supplies no engine photos, but the engine bay houses the 6.2-liter V8 carried over from the Silver Shadow’s predecessor. Rolls-Royce never quoted specific engine output figures, frequently using “adequate” as its standard response to that question. However, the reality was 200hp and 347 ft/lbs of torque is available under the driver’s right foot. That power finds its way to the rear wheels via an automatic transmission, and this was another area of change for the Shadow. Cars produced for right-hand-drive markets retained the previous model’s four-speed Hydramatic, but those made in LHD form received the new three-speed THM-400 transmission. Most owners were unconcerned by such details as a ¼-mile ET but were content to know their Rolls would transport them quietly and effortlessly at freeway speeds. We receive no detailed information on how this classic runs or drives, but its regular use in weddings and parades suggests the news should be positive.
Accumulating the wealth required to purchase a Silver Shadow often involved sacrifice on the buyer’s behalf, and it is worth noting that many trees and cows sacrificed their lives to produce the car’s sumptuous interior. Actually, that statement isn’t strictly true because the leather selection was, and remains, quite complicated. Rolls-Royce only uses hides from bulls because cows develop stretch marks while carrying their unborn calves. The company also favors hides from areas with few or no mosquitoes because that avoids the hazard of minor bite marks and nicks that could spoil perfection. That practice continues today as a testament to the company’s eye for detail. The timber is all genuine walnut veneer, and it takes an artisan a week to produce a complete set of interior timber trim pieces. It continues to utilize a process called “bookleaving.” This involves commencing the laminating from the dash center and working from there in each direction using alternating laminates from the same tree. The effect is almost perfect symmetry, further underlining why purchasing any new Rolls costs a significant sum. This interior looks impressive for its age. The leather has the traditional wrinkles that accumulate with age, but there is no wear or sign of damage. The timber is spotless, and the carpet appears in good order. There is no wheel wear, and while it isn’t in showroom condition, this interior has no apparent needs or shortcomings.
The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow remained in production from 1965 until being replaced by the Silver Shadow II in 1977. The company produced 16,717 Shadows during that period, but only 505 were the Drophead Coupe derivative. That makes this a relatively rare car, and the incredible seventy-four bids submitted confirm that people want to own this classic. It seems to need nothing and should offer a relaxed top-down classic motoring experience. Is that enough to convince you to join the bidding war, or would you rather throw caution to the wind and hit the BIN button? The action so far suggests you may need to act fast. After all, someone may have the same idea.
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Comments
Seller just added that car hasn’t run since 2018. I wonder if bidders saw that before they bid. It will likely take some careful maintenance to coax this one back to smooth operation. Given the cost to have a shop do that, it is likely this one primarily makes sense for someone who is a RR afficionato capable of turning a wrench themself.
Not at all – it’s a 67, commonsense mechanical work will get it done.
Might need a head gasket & seals, bearings should be A-OK.
Common work
My ol Uncle Ray would have jumped on this an uneducated mechanical genius who could make the most vintage machines run like new.
He just had good ol farm boy commonsense & know how.
Which it turns out is a rare quality these days.
“Not at all – it’s a 67, commonsense mechanical work will get it done.
Might need a head gasket & seals, bearings should be A-OK.
Common work”.
Spoken like someone who has never wrenched on a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. These cars are NOT like other cars. I know, as I ran a vintage car shop that specialized in Rolls-Royce cars. First off you will need a full set of repair manuals before you even think about touching this car. Mechanically they are SOOOOO different that even the slightest repair job tackled incorrectly can be very costly to fix correctly. I know what I am talking about as we used to have owners bring in their Rolls-Royce cars to us after they screw them up.
As this car has not been on the road for 5 years, I promise [at a minimum] it will need a total brake hydraulic overhaul, and that includes the full hydraulic suspension. As it’s a 1967, it may well have the front hydraulic suspension hooked up. If so, that MUST be disconnected. The estimated costs to accomplish all this is well over $10k. [$15k to $20k at the Rolls-Royce dealership]
Note the top material is shiny. It’s not the correct material, and is a cheaper attempt to install the wrong top. It’s also been cheaply repaired where the top material attaches to the body. This happens because the material used doesn’t flex like the original [correct] material does. Instead, it tears. I worry about a Rolls-Royce owner who takes the “cheap route” on such a repair, as what additional repairs were done incorrectly?
Those of us in the Rolls-Royce repair business often have a similar saying: Each $1 saving in repair costs often costs an additional $10 to remedy the problems relating to the cheaper alternative.
In 1967 this Rolls-Royce would have had color-keyed full hubcaps. The current wheel-covers are from a later Corniche or Silver Wraith.
Eva and Zsa Zsa Gabor were big time Rolls-Royce owners.
also owners of many husbands
Zsa Zsa Rolls is being offered at Volo
There are TWO totally wonderful days in Rolls Royce ownership. The first is the day you take ownership of the Rolls and the second most wonderful day is the day you SELL your Rolls Royce.
I’ve always heard that sage bit of advice regarding boats. Alas, it is totally applicable to RRs and no doubt Bentleys and Jags and . . . .
I have driven Rolls-Royce and Bentleys for over half of my 70 years so far . . . every time I sold one, it was usually a sad day, not a happy one. The cars I collect, older 6 cylinder models have near Honda/Toyota like reliability and most parts are reasonably affordable.
If you have the time and the money, then go for it.
And I feel if you buy a rolls Royce its forever why would you want to sell a beautiful car like the rolls Royce. It’s the best of the best.
I wouldn’t want to own it. But I’d sure like to take it for a top down cruise.
This is by all means a car for celebrities. Eva and Zsa Zsa Gabor were big time owners of Rolls-Royce motor cars. I do remember a 1970 Silver Shadow owned by Eva went for over $125,000 at an auction.
Not sure of the year, but this is the twin to the one Esther Williams (who?) drove.
grandma wrote a couple of Esther Williams movies:
Thrill of a Romance
This time for Keeps
Kept the house payments flowing
A Rolls Royce that has been sitting for over five years is most likely to break your wallet as well as your heart…
Nice ride I would love to Tinker with it but after watching Hoovies garage on YouTube I’m afraid of the cost of parts, and that side view of the taillights reminds me of a Volkswagen notch back, someone is going to get a fun toy
White convertible tops DO require extra attention. I scrub my entire top with a vinyl cleaner/preservative every year. I wonder if the RR top is vinyl?Anyhoo, I keep my top a blinding white which looks great over my car’s presidential blue paint.
Regarding the soft top, my ex in early 2000s was surface material designer for RR thru BMWs Design Works.
I’ve done plenty of renovation work on every type of car truck etc.
Gently Steam the material to loosen it & allow it to cool in a cool dark shaded area – inside a garage with a light fan blowing afterwards NOT hard add a back foam dust filter & card board shroud easy to do.
The material should loosen up then shrink back to its original size
It takes time & patience 3 or 4 days of repeated applications on this type of material.
If it’s brittle from age sometimes there’s material restoring agents that can be used from Armor-all.
It’s worth a shot for sure.
Otherwise take it to a High quality shop for a new top.
The car is worth it.
Reminds me of the WINSTON LAW Cali put in, guy was a State parole officer working L.A. county & did mandatory parolee home visits in his personal car & was renumerated per mile via his daily milage log.
Well Mr Winston had a Hobby – he restored an old RR like this very car & after decades of work hunting down vintage oem parts he finally finished his pride and joy to perfection.
Mr Winston then drove the Stunning Vintage Rolls-Royce to work one day which set off a fire storm of criticism, HOW could this BLACK parole officer afford a Stunning vintage Rolls-Royce??
The state did an investigation & despite BOXES of Receipts for every single part & the original not expensive receipt of Sale & Title for a really in bad condition old junk RR they Fired him & State legislators rammed thru a “WINSTON LAW” yep that’s the name yet claimed it had nothing to do with him, restricting renumeration on miles driven on MANDATORY parolee home checks required by state law.
Mr Winston contacted my Law Firm & we sued on his behalf WON the case, he was rehired with BACK PAY and to make a point drove that restored Vintage Rolls-Royce to work ramming a red hot poker up their jealous backsides.
Who ever buys this car will have fond memories it’ll last a lifetime & be passes down for generations to come.
Good luck to the winning bidder.
Auto correct gets ya every time
Forgive the odd wording
PASSED down in final paragraph
Oopsy 😶🌫️
Beautiful car. Much richer looking than the later Corniche, IMHO. My Brother in Law owned a slightly older Rolls. He enjoyed owning it, did his own minor repairs- and never sold it.
I have owned vehicles that gave me “the two happiest days”, but I doubt this car would do that.
There is no more expensive Rolls Royce than a cheap Rolls Royce.
Most expensive car in the world? A free car
Ahh, sitting on wheel dollies. Must be independent all wheel drive ! The only reason RR currently exists is because Ze Germans bought’ em up.
Well, one could argue that RR exists today because of all the aero engine contracts they had to fight the Germans!
This is the triplet to the two white Roll Royce convertibles used in the movie “Down and Out in Beverly Hills”
Little Richard drove one and Richard Dryfuss wrecked the other.
I love the hides, timber and wool carpets. But how come R.R. steering wheels always look like they were borrowed from a 50’s semi and the radio came from J.C. Whitney?
Please forgive my ignorance, but what does ” Drophead” mean ?
Drophead means convertible, just as Fixed head means coupe.
Thank you for clearing that up, BTW why does the Ad say “Coupe” ?
To expand on your comment – it’s a ’67 and as such it is extremely and many would say, unnecessarily complicated. Citroen based hydraulics for the suspension and brakes, endless numbers of Lucas switches and relays with all that that entails and implies. The biggest bugaboo for this car will be the brakes – it is easy to spend the cash equivalent of a small Kia or Chevy Spark just getting the brakes right and no, without special equipment and training, you really cannot do it in your own garage. Right after the brakes will be the the suspension. Hopefully in the car’s past it had all the factory recalls and updates, but without records, impossible to say. The basic engine and it’s GM sourced automatic transmission are the most reliabile parts of this car but it’s all the ancillaries that will drive the new owner nuts, broke or both. Did you know, that even the transmission shift selector is not physically connected to the transmission? It’s all done by Lucas switches and relays. There’s a reason many long-time RR collectors such as myself have never owned one this “new” and never ever under any circumstances, will!
I read the word ‘Lucas’ and I have an anxiety attack. :)
My Aunt had a Rolls Royce AND a driver….of course…. her husband was an opera singer…….and I always liked the late fifties/early sixties Rolls. I believe theirs was a’57 or ’58. Can’t recall but he died in 1961 if I remember correctly.
I’m with brakeservo on the aesthetics of the more modern RR’s and especially the Checker Cab modern Rolls……..ah well.sometimes its easier to be po and avoid the mistakes of one’s desires :)
In Europe and in much of the rest of the world, Lucas is often referred to as………
“The Prince of Darkness”. with good reason eh?
Except in Italy where they recognize Magnetti Marelli as “the company that gave Lucas a good name”
I too enjoy a good Lucas joke, of the hundreds to choose from. That said, I do find a certain element of the hilarity ill-gained. I’ve tried to sort out a number of MGs over the years, where people are complaining about the “usual” stuff–you know, the wipers turn on the lights, etc., ad nauseum. Inevitably, what you find is bell wire, speaker wire, wire nuts, Romex, those dang blue 3M in-line tap things, etc. Nine times out of ten, just replacing/correcting all the bodged additions will solve the problems. I’ve done complete restorations on a number of MGBs, and always put in a new harness. Never had a problem after that.
When I operated my Rolls-Royce limo service in the Baltimore – DC areas, I had 3 Shadow 1 cars; 1969, 72 & 73. [Left 3 cars in the photo] All were bought by me on the cheap after the owners decided not to put vast amounts of cash into them.
My shop was able to do all the work and I knew how & where to buy spare parts cheaply. With regular maintenance we were able to run these cars, mostly for weddings and “couples out for a night on the town” to celebrate a special moment.
Since closing the limo service 40+ years ago due to outrageous liability insurance costs [with zero claims], and understanding what I know about these cars, I decided years ago that I would not have a 1965 or newer Rolls-Royce or Bentley in my car collection. That is a decision that to this day I do not regret.
These cars are VERY complicated, both in overall design and construction. Even small repair jobs can become nightmares if the tech doesn’t fully understand what is involved to complete the work correctly.
For example: To R & R the intake manifold due to a slight manifold leak requires that a tiny silk thread be used as there is no gasket. Not preparing the machined surfaces correctly, creating a paper gasket with some gasket sealant instead of the thread, or even installing the thread incorrectly, can result in the need to replace the engine camshaft, all 16 lifters, and both hydraulic brake pumps. 40 years ago those parts alone cost around $8,000.
Whoops, forgot to include the photo!
After reading all these comments, I just have this to say: Barn Finds didn’t need to post any other Find except THIS one today. It gets all the attention along with some very knowledgeable (as usual) comments. What a car.
Why would you put the top up on a RR convertible? A Bentley, maybe but a Rolls you buy to be seen in.
Purists, get out the burning torches and pitchforks but I’ve often wondered if you could ditch the over complicated BS.
Go with TBI, fit a floor shifter, an off the shelf brake system using the original discs & calipers, and regular springs?
And a DECENT steering wheel.
Any takers?
You still have the Smiths gauges, Lucas switches, Piper window motors and who knows what for the power top mechanism . . . what you’re describing was produced fifty years ago as the “Custom Cloud,” a more sophisticated version of the old VW Beetle with a RR grill kit.
I don’t know if the photos showing places where rust has infiltrated are recent additions, but that may also be a factor in holding the bidding down.
Ralph,
The photos I see of the rust bubbles show the car has had previous repairs and a repaint. The one photo that appears to show holes in the lower fender area is what I believe simply the white paint flaking off revealing either black primer or a previous black paint color.
The vast majority of the underbody looks very good and except for the lower rear fender areas, the car looks quite decent.
It’s British for a convertible top that goes down, it’s often abbreviated as a DHC
The car failed to meet reserve, and has been relisted.