The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow was designed in 1965 with several
modernizations in response to concerns that the company was falling
behind in automotive innovation, most notably in its unitary
construction. It was the first Rolls Royce to offer a unibody
design. Style-wise, the John Polwhele Blatchley design was a major
departure from its predecessor, the Silver Cloud. More than 50% of
Silver Clouds had been sold on the domestic market where, by the
standards of much of Europe and most of North America, roads were
narrow and crowded. The new Shadow was 3+1/2 inches (8.9 cm)
narrower and 7 inches (18 cm) shorter than the Silver Cloud, but
nevertheless managed to offer increased passenger and luggage
space, thanks to more efficient space utilization made possible by
unibody construction[6] and a full-width, slab-sided body design.
Other new features included disc brakes replacing drums, and
independent rear suspension instead of the outdated live rear axle
design of previous Rolls-Royce models. The standard wheelbase
Silver Shadow measured 203.5 inches (5,170 mm), 4,700 lb The 1972
Silver Shadow featured a 189 hp (141 kW) 6.75 L V8 coupled to a
General Motors-sourced Turbo Hydramatic 400 automatic gearbox. As
one might expect, the finish on the new cars was exemplary, with
Connolly leather interior, lambs-wool carpet, and walnut dash and
door trims, with full instrumentation. A distinctive feature of the
Silver Shadow is a high-pressure hydropneumatics suspension system
licensed from Citroen, with dual-circuit braking and hydraulic
self-levelling suspension. At first, both the front and rear of the
car were controlled by the levelling system; the front levelling
was deleted in 1969 as it had been determined that the rear
levelling did almost all the work.[8] Rolls-Royce achieved a high
degree of ride quality with this arrangement. This stellar example
of the Silver Shadow is one of a kind in terms of condition and
miles. It was discovered by the current owner after spending
several years in storage. The owner has taken the time and care to
do all the right things when activating a car that has been
hibernating for some time. It has been in underground storage its
entire life. It also features the original key and paperwork, with
full documentation available. The mileage is an astounding 12,812
original miles! Please view the extensive video where the current
owner takes you on a tour of this British classic. The vehicle is
located in the Bethesda area of MD. Reach out with inquiries to
[email protected] or text to 201-317-9277. Offered
at 30,000.
