One Family Owned: 1980 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II
There are some classic cars and trucks that become infinitely cooler when you find out it’s a one-owner, or one-family owned, example. The Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith is one of the more familiar collector cars out there, and many of us likely wouldn’t give such a car much of a second look if attending a car show or auction. However, this 1980 model listed here on craigslist has been in the same family since new, and the grandkids are offering it up for sale for $15,000.
Those whitewalls are huge! When we normally see these tires, the white band is much, much smaller. I’m not sure if there’s an official name for these balloon-like tires, but I find myself distracted by the pronounced white sidewall. Regardless, there’s a whole styling ethos when it comes to owners of luxury cars of a certain era, and I’m sure the sellers’ grandfather felt like these tires were the perfect fit for his opulent sedan. It’s also the right look for Las Vegas, where this Rolls resides.
When you see the interior, it makes even more sense. While Lincoln may have been the domestic whipping boy for excessive luxury in an era of dwindling performance, Rolls-Royce was the imported equivalent. The lipstick red leather and white piping is a bit of a shock to see with the sedate white exterior, but apparently grandad was no shrinking violet. The condition is outstanding, and though the seller calls it original, the seating surfaces look surprisingly mint for a car with 71,000 miles.
The backseat is in equally good condition, and the same goes for the headliner and door panels. The seller claims his grandfather was a car collector who had pride in ownership of any car he owned, and that the next owner will get a neatly-organized binder with evidence of years’ worth of maintenance records. The wood trim on the door and the dash-pad are both said to be crack-free, so I’m sure this Silver Wraith was stored inside since new. For a one-family-owned example in excellent condition, do you think the asking price is fair?
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Comments
That is a bargain price in any currency. I’d snap it up in a heartbeat.
My late uncle bought a new 1973 Silver Shadow. He died in ’05; I inherited the car. He lived in Paris where I saw the car a few times. “It cost me a fortune to repair” he would tell me. When my uncle died, his close friend sold the car for me and sent me the proceeds. He had to pay $5000.00 to make the car roadworthy. He took that off the top. I got $13,000.00. I have great memories of me and my uncle riding in the car when I was sixteen back in 1975. No amount of money could duplicate that!!
Ronnie Wood 🎸 apparently loves Bentleys
I dunno. That kind of money might almost buy you a clapped-out 1971 Datsun.
That price seems out of step for current market value for these cars. Perhaps the
steep discount reflect the fact that when you open the door the car looks like an open wound…
Despite the interior, you can take one look at this car in an online photo and KNOW it has been meticulously maintained by someone who loved it. As opposed to the ones I see that have been left outside to the mercy of the elements, or not touched mechanically for years due to the expense. I would substitute narrow whitewalls and give it to the wife to drive, who would cherish it.
Personally I hate the White Walls and the red upholstery looks suspiciously perfect, I hope it wasn’t redone in Gasp, vinyl! The price seems right if it’s as nice as it looks, I would definitely have to see it up close and see what kind of service history it has, And a big one one these if see if one of the two Brake lights are illuminated on the dash, a sign something expensive is eminent
I hope the grandkids give the sale money to grandpa and dont spend it on gambling and grammar lessons.
Yes, the craigslist ad was certainly difficult to read. Seems that punctuation was not a paramount concern.
Purchase a 1055 Rolls Royce with this one. Then put these 4 inch white walls on it and buy the size that this would have come with. The 1980 Rolls Royce had fuel injection. This should allow for easier.smog approvals in some states. I wish it was red on the exterior also.
The price reflects the size of the market for these. The real cost is the hidden cost of ownership.
“Precisely”, as my late Uncle Tom used to say!!
I don’t know a thing about these but that interior was a surprise, I would’ve thought it would be tan leather or velour. It’s still a neat car either way though. The ad’s been deleted so it looks like somebody snapped it up already.
I doubt very much that the interior is original due to the rear seat pleat on either side of the central armrest are different widths at the top. I’m sure the trimmer at Rolls Royce would never make allow a mistake like that to leave the premises. This is after all a Rolls Royce, the best car in the world.
If I ever come back as a 25 year old rapper, known as Biggie C? I want this exact car.
What? No Grey Poupon comment?
There was now!!!!
Never rode in a Rolls. If anyone can enlighten me some on the experience of a Rolls ride I’d appreciate it.
Get rid of the hideous whitewalls.
Riding in a Rolls Royce is like no other experience I have ever had in any other car, besides of course, a Bentley. The word “serenity” just about covers it. Near absolute silence, no vibrations, no road noise, the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled. “An oasis of serenity amidst the bustling city.” It has been said, tongue in cheek I’m sure, that the only noise to be heard while driving a Rolls Royce is the ticking of the clock.
“Spot on”,as my uncle used to say!
interesting car – the steering wheel and seat seemed to me to be made for having a driver with short arms and a short inseam. Driver car was the Bentley , however if you have a short chauffeur this could be the one.
I have gone from Rolls to Lincoln Mark VI’s (have 4). I now have climate control, auto dimming, in the Signature models heavier seats and more features, and a very dependable vehicle. Far better instrumentation..
A buddy paid $10,000 for a 1949 model in 1968. It looked like an ordinary car from the thirties, kind of short and boxy. It was hit in the rear and the only way you could tell was by looking under the car to see a faint crack in the wooden frame. It still was dead silent, with the only sound being leaves on the road being crushed. The damage was $10,000, same as the purchase price. “What was it, a Rolls Royce?” the judge asked. The officer proudly replied ,”Yes Sir! My first!!!
It’s already sold
Can someone please explain to me how this top-of-the-line masterpiece in apparently mint condition can be sold for $15,000 while escapees from video games sell for four times this amount? I really wonder why the grandkids want to unload it so fast. Maybe the beauty needs something and, whatever it is, that something will be super expensive.
What can be super expensive to fix on a Rolls like this? The GM automatic transmission?
The $2000 alternator. It goes on & up from there.
Every time I see one of these I’m reminded of my local NAPA parts store in Glenside, PA that I frequented in the late ’70s-early ’90s. Out on the floor, on a stand, was the barely-used V8 engine out of Joe Frazier’s Rolls-Royce. It was for sale for $10000, and the note on it explained that Mr. Frazier preferred to have a GM engine & transmission in his Rolls. It was a fixture.
As for cost of repairs–sometime in the 70s, I was in Overseas Motors in Dallas getting parts for a Simca 1204. While there, a runner for a Rolls specialist came in to pick up, among other things, front caliper rebuild kits. Having just rebuilt mine on my VW T3, they looked suspiciously identical. So I wrote down the ATE number. When I got home the VW kit and the Rolls kit were the same. The difference was that the VW kit cost about $9 and the Rolls kit cost $49.95.
@Stan. I take exception to your exception. Yes, I have been invited to Windsor for tea, not by the late Queen but by a friend that used to live there. I have also had several Rolls Royce motor cars pass through my hands as a classic car dealer so feel reasonably qualified to discuss their merits or demerits.