Vehicle Description
This is a very fine Silver Shadow II finished in Champagne (light
cream-butter yellow non-metallic) with dark umber fine-lines on the
waistline and hubcap trim rings. The interior is finished in
factory original, un-touched biscuit Connolly hide leather. This
combination is rarely seen on Shadow IIs in the US. This is a very
clean and original example that appears to have been well cared for
over her years. She is pretty much mostly original with no
modifications. She even has her original Blaupunkt blue-dot push
button radio. A nice genuine touch. The body is straight and paint
very shiny and consistent. Much of the paint is original finish,
which is quite rare and will please the enthusiasts. Of course,
because of the predominantly factory paint, the car does have some
of the signature hair-lines at the base of the "A" & "C" pillars
(Rolls-Royce used the "lead-wiping" technique for joining body
panels. With the different expansion and contraction rates of lead
vs steel, this caused the paint to fracture and so paint stress
marks at these points occurred on every single Silver Shadow).
These are relatively minor. She also shows some "porcelain crazing"
at the top of the front and rear wings. But overall, the car is
minor on other blemishes and marks so presents well - certainly
above average for a Rolls-Royce of this age. As a daily driver, the
paint presents well. The imperfections are pointed out as part of
clear disclosure and so rest assured they are not eye catching. The
interior presents stunningly, very clean and fresh with the leather
in an excellent state. Importantly, and rare to see today, the
Connolly hides have NEVER been re-dyed. This is something quite
unique as usually the leather after this many years can become
quite soiled. This is the best testament for the car being a
low-mileage and well-cared for example. The leather is not only
"clean" but remains super supple (as demonstrated in photos doing
the "scrunch" test). What is the best part about virgin Connolly
hides is the original "toning" effect of the Vaumol hide is
preserved. To explain, Connolly used a technique whereby the
leather was surface dyed and then treated with a hand-rubbed darker
toning that captures the natural pores and grain of the leather - a
mild version of the antique look on a chesterfield couch. I have
included close-up photos so you can see this toned grain look which
is referred to as Luxan grain. In re-dyed leather, this magnificent
trait of Connolly Vaumol hides is lost. Not so, in this lovely
example. The wood on this Shadow II is also very good. A couple of
minor hair-line fractures are totally welcomed with the knowledge
that the finish is totally factory original. Further testament of a
well-kept example. Further bonuses include; dash roll in excellent
condition with no leather pulling at the vents, very clean
broad-cloth headlining and the signature Wilton wool carpets in
excellent shape still displaying factory issue mouton rug over-lays
in the front. All features, gauges, instruments and electrics work
well. All interior lights and dash lights are all fully working.
Heater and air-conditioning are fully functional. These are all
thoroughly gone thru by Park-Ward. For example, we service all the
windows to ensure smooth and swift up and down movement (windows
often get very slow on Silver Shadows). The 42,000 odd miles,
although not verifiable by documentation, is evident when you look
closely at the various finishes. For example, the chrome and
bright-work around the car is excellent. The brake pedal has
minimal wear. As you would expect from a car of this mileage that
has been well maintained, it comes with its original manual, tools
and jack. Mechanically this Silver Shadow II is strong. The car
came to us from long term storage and is subject to Park-Ward
Motors' "Predelivery Commissioning" program whereby all aspects of
the car are gone through to ensure correct performance and all ser
