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 Other new features included disc brakes replacing drums, and independent rear suspension instead of the outdated live rear axle design of previous Rolls-Royce models.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 Citroën, 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 hank@easternshoreclassiccars.com or text to 201-317-9277. Offered at 30,000.
