1973 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Saloon

Description

Launched at the 1965 Paris Salon, the Silver Shadow heralded a new era for Rolls-Royce, employing unitary construction for the first time and more compact proportions, with elegant, modern styling by John Blatchley's team, a shape that has stood the test of time remarkably well. The Silver Shadow broke new ground for the Crewe Company in many key areas, including sophisticated fully independent suspension with an advanced self-levelling system, along with four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. In fact the only major components carried over from the Silver Cloud III were the excellent all-aluminium 6.2-litre V8 and Rolls-Royce's own four-speed automatic transmission with fluid flywheel, the latter was replaced by GM's excellent 400 three-speed box in October 1968. Inside, the Silver Shadow cleverly combined traditional materials and Old World craftsmanship with modern fittings like electric windows. No less than eight individual Connolly hides were used to trim the interior of each car and the standard of finish on the upholstery, rich Wilton carpets and burr walnut veneers was impeccable. No less than 20 electric motors could be found in each Silver Shadow, powering everything from the radio antenna to adjusting the individual front seats. Air conditioning remained an option (except in America where it was deemed necessary on all cars sold there), but a clever heating and ventilation system ensured occupants were kept comfortable at all times, while safety was another key improvement and seat belts were now standard equipment. Build quality on the Silver Shadow remained unsurpassed, each car taking no less than 12 weeks to build from start to finish. Another important breakthrough for Rolls-Royce saw the company return a profit on a new model for the first time in 50 years and thanks to strong demand around the world, no less than 16,717 built (along with a smaller number of Bentley T-Series variants) before the revised Shadow II was launched in 1976.