Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptional and rare
all original and stock and therefore very collectible example of
this original southern California 1978 Rolls Royce Corniche 2 Door
Coupe, coachbuilt by Mulliner Park Ward, with 23K original miles
and originally owned by Blake Edwards & Julie Andrews!1 of
only 1,108 Corniche Coupes ever built between the 1971-1982
production run.23,132 original milesOriginally owned by Blake
Edwards & Julie AndrewsDealer serviced including recent
comprehensive full service at renown Rolls Royce specialists.
Originally purchased by the renown American film director and Oscar
winner Blake Edwards on 8/2/1978 from the Rolls Royce/Bentley
dealership, 'Roy Carver Inc' of Newport Beach, CA. A legendary
Rolls Royce owner, Mr Edwards was renown for meeting his future
wife, the British actress Julie Andrews, in 1966 at a Hollywood
intersection whilst driving a Rolls Royce! They married in 1969 and
enjoyed over 40 years together before his death in 2010 and he
purchased this particular 'Silver Sand' 1978 Corniche Coupe in 1978
and was reportedly one of his and his wife's favorite cars!This
particular example is finished in highly striking and virtually
flawless all original factory 'Silver Sand' color paint with its
original 'Dark Brown' Everflex roof and all original 'Dark Brown
leather hides' and matching sheepskin rugs and carpeting.All the
chromework including the Rolls Royce grille is in absolutely
outstanding condition and the interior has its original 'Dark
Brown' leather seats which are in very fine condition with some
very desirable original patina but no signs of any significant wear
and with no rips or tears. The leather dashboard is also in
exceptional condition (always garaged from the sun) and the 'Fawn'
mohair headliner is also in very fine condition. The original
burled walnut woodwork is also in very fine condition and all the
power options including the front electric windows and two rear
electric wing vent windows are working as they should.The Silver
Shadow coupe was an exclusive model sold in very few numbers (568
in total RR MPW coupes & 98 Bentley T MPW models built
between 1965-71) and assembled in Crewe and finished in London at
the renown Rolls Royce coachbuilders 'H.J. Mulliner', who had
actually already merged with 'Park Ward' and become 'Mulliner Park
Ward', and who continued their 1965 Silver Shadow coupes and 1967
dropheads later applying the 'Corniche' name in 1971. The Corniche
coupe was discontinued in 1982. Total production of the 'Corniche'
coupes (1971-82) was only 1,108 and of the convertibles (1971-87)
was only 3,239.The convertible 'drophead coupe' model was reworked
in 1986 as the Corniche II (with 1,226 produced), in 1989 as the
Corniche III (with 452 produced) and in 1993 as the Corniche IV
(with only 244 produced) when production was moved to Crewe after
the closure of Mulliner Park Ward and the final form in 2000 was as
the Corniche V after which production ceased in 2001.This obviously
always very well maintained Rolls Royce engine with only 23K
original miles runs extremely strong and these cars are not slow -
the engine purrs like a kitten, never stalls or idles rough and is
extremely reliable - there is plenty of power to pull away at the
lights and it cruises at high speeds with absolute ease. The
transmission shift is almost imperceptibly smooth and the
temperature always remains cool.This Rolls Royce Corniche is truly
a sensual car that you can drive with your fingertips, smooth and
relatively silent, it's thoroughly therapeutic for both drivers and
passengers. The delightful precision action of the electrically
powered steering column gear change and the ultra light weighted
power steering allows one to park this 5000lbs of pure luxury with
literally one finger and this long but actually quite slender car
is anything but ponderous thanks to it's torque and brilliant
turning radius! The ride is truly luxurious from a high riding
position and the soft feel is like no other car on the road. This
particular model drives particularly well and must be driven to be
fully appreciated.Without a doubt you will look long and hard to
find a finer driving or indeed looking example of this rare all
original and very collectible and surviving example of a 1978 Rolls
Royce Corniche MPW coupe, an obviously always garaged original
southern California car with a storied past and very low original
miles!This is one of the last in the original line of cars hand
built in the legendary Rolls Royce Crewe factory and then converted
at their renown coachbuilders Mulliner Park Ward, of London
England, with a quality and craftsmanship that far surpasses that
of today's mass produced models with many BMW parts - this is
indeed a rare opportunity to own a piece of classic automotive
history, from a time when Rolls Royce was truly building the
world's finest automobiles - a great investment for the Rolls Royce
enthusiast or collector or simply an outstandingly striking example
of a very rare and unusual Rolls Royce for the discerning luxury
classic car owner!
