1975 Rolls-Royce Corniche Coupe

Description

The Silver Shadow was hailed as a landmark model in the history of Rolls-Royce, arguably the most important in the company’s long and distinguished history. With the long-awaited adoption of monocoque construction techniques, the coachbuilt derivatives of the Silver Shadow were limited to a 2-Door in either fixed-head or convertible guise. Virtually hand-crafted by H.J.Mulliner Park Ward in tiny numbers, these fearsomely expensive cars were rebadged as the Corniche in March 1971, named after the coast roads snaking around the French Riviera. The Corniche established itself as a model in its own right, distinguished by a new radiator shell with slight forward rake, new hubcaps and redesigned dashboard (with the first tachometer found in any Rolls-Royce). Other improvements were the new “Gamma” engine, developing around 10 percent more power (still described merely as ‘adequate’) thanks to the big bore exhaust and altered valve timing. A total of 3239 of this model were built, of which just 1108 were of the fixed-head variety on offer here, before the Silver Shadow gave way to the new Silver Spirit in 1980 (although the open-topped Corniche remained in production for a further decade or so). With values of the Silver Shadow now starting to firm up, investing in one of the much rarer and altogether more stylish Corniche derivatives makes excellent financial sense, as they will ultimately appreciate at a faster rate than the more common four-door model.