Vehicle Description
This is a spectacular presenting, low mileage and excellent
condition Silver Shadow Long Wheel Base ("LWB") finished in the
very regal combination of Garnet with beige Connolly Vaumol hides
and matching Wilton wool carpets. It has a craftsman hand-painted
single gold fine line to the waistlines and hubcap beauty trim
rings. It is formalised with a black Everflex top. The colour
combination is rare and is very formal in its presentation. The car
had been in the hands of its original owner for most of its life
having been care-taken in more recent years by a well-known
Rolls-Royce collector and enthusiast who hardly used it and simply
admired it. When we received the car, it was in very original, good
condition and only showing modest signs of a Silver Shadow now due
for a light restoration. Such a nice example that we decided to do
a deserving restoration to her. The exterior of the car was
entirely straight, no dents nor previous repair and totally rust
free with the underside clean and tidy. The paint was 100% original
but unfortunately had the odd mark on each panel (fade spots and
buff-through marks) so a complete re-paint in the original factory
colour was undertaken by Park-Ward. It is now truly flawless
without a single mark or blemish. A high-end job at a cost of some
$20,000 it is entirely consistent in colour, finish and lustre -
truly lovely - and the combination simply OUTSTANDING. The exterior
of the car presents absolutely beautifully with all finishes,
rubbers, glass, bright-work, hub-caps and the chrome in excellent
condition. As part of the reconditioning process we removed all the
bright-work and machined buffed every individual piece. This was
followed by hand polishing and meticulous cleaning prior to
re-fitment. It looks like new. Inside door edges and jams are
incredibly clean and tidy without unsightly overspray or any signs
of restoration. The fine lines on the car were applied in the same
manner as Rolls-Royce has done so to all its cars for many years; a
trained craftsmen with a good eye and steady hand. With only the
best squirrel hair brush the striping is applied entirely free-hand
in one elegant stroke at a time. Even the lines on the hub-cap
beauty rings are applied without guiding tools and relies only upon
the eye and hand of the craftsman. The Everflex vinyl top in black
is its original fitment and is in amazing condition without any
blemishes, fading or "drying". The interior of the car is all
original and in excellent condition. The leather remains soft and
supple and is the factory original Connolly Vaumol hide leather. It
is without any tears or unsightly wear marks and displays the
original Vaumol grain, something that cannot be retained correctly
when redyed. A good indicator of a low mileage Silver Shadow that
has been rarely used. For those who do not know, Vaumol hide was a
special leather developed by Connolly Brothers that was not just
plain color dyed, but has a deep darker toner rubbed into the
leather to enrich the grain and natural pores of the leather. This
was done when the leather was still in hide form. This gives the
leather the rich antique look you see - a bit like an old
Chesterfield couch. Strangely, some people look at the leather and
think it is dirty, it is not!. This is the antique look that
Rolls-Royce was seeking, and they achieved it very well. If you are
the sort of person that likes crisp, un-marked, one-colour leather
like that in a new Lexus, we suggest you buy one of those. The
Vaumol hides in this car exudes all the patina that is so perfectly
suited to the Silver Shadow. (See the many close up photos of this
car's amazing condition Vaumol hides). Door panels, hood-lining,
interior chrome-work, gauges and instruments are all in very fine
condition. The carpets are the original Wilton pure wool. The dash
pad and the rear parcel shelf are perfect. The African burl walnut
wood throughout is also completely original. Although not perfect
wit
