Usually it is really easy for me to find a Pick of the Day, but today I tried something different. I wanted to find a very special car that could be bought for a bargain price. After about three hours of searching, I think I have found just the car, definitely something I would love to have in my own garage.
My pick is this stunning 1976 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a magnificent luxury automobile offered for the cost of an average new car.
To start off, if you have never had the opportunity to drive a Rolls-Royce, they are a different experience from just about any car in the world. No matter what the vintage of Rolls, each has an added degree of specialness and elegance that makes these what many consider to be the best cars in the world. The sense of occasion when arriving anywhere in a Rolls is like nothing else. And somehow you can actually do this on a budget.
According to the listing on ClassicCars.com by a Carey, Illinois, dealer who is a specialist in these cars, this Silver Shadow is one of the last of them made. Many people in the Rolls Royce Owners Club consider the 1975-76 Silver Shadows to be the best of the series because they incorporate all of the technological and design enhancements developed over the life of the model.
This Silver Shadow has not been “done-up” to sell but instead was maintained in original condition, the seller states. The sedan is finished in “Highland Green” with Honey Tan Connolly hide interior with ivory piping and light fawn rugs. The body has been trimmed with hand-painted tan fine-lines on the body waistline and the hubcap trim rings.
The body on the car is straight and the paint is very nice with only some slight imperfections here and there that can be seen only on close inspection, the seller says. Also important is that the seller states that all the chrome and bright work is stunning with no pitting and even the rubber around the car is in good condition.
The interior of the car is in stunning condition, the seller adds, with excellent-condition leather. Important as well, the wood on the dash, window surrounds, door cappings and vanity mirrors was professionally re-done to exacting Rolls-Royce standards at considerable cost by a Rolls-Royce wood refinisher, truly flawless with the correct flat-mirror finish, according to the dealer, who adds that the new owner will receive a new set of genuine Rolls-Royce lambs-wool mouton rugs.
All switchgear and electrical items, including the seats, windows, gauges and clock, function as they should, the A/C blows icy cold and the heater is working well, the listing says. The Shadow still has its original push-button radio and factory-installed 8-track player.
Mechanically, the car is said to be in superior condition, and the clean condition of the engine bay under the bonnet and the undercarriage seem to confirm that. Probably most important is that all hydraulics and brakes have been inspected and tested, and are working perfectly. The only thing that should be done immediately is to change the tires as they are getting old.
Few if any cars offer more for the money than a Silver Shadow does and the hardest part about buying one is finding a nice example. This car looks to be just that.
The asking price for this Rolls Royce Silver Shadow is close to the top of today’s market at $34,800, but these cars have been increasing in value do to their ease of use. Consider that 35 grand won’t buy you a new midrange Lexus, much less one of the finest luxury cars you could drive anywhere.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day
