*Click on the above
thumbnails to view
full screen photographs of this automobile. More photos
available upon request.
Additional
Details:
(VIN: LRL41610),
antique white w/ navy blue Everflex roof / navy blue Connolly leather
& Wilton carpeting, camel hair
headliner,
turbo-hydramatic 400 auto trans,
93,800 original miles, built 11/1980, in-service date 12/1980, sold
new at
Higham's Cadillac-Rolls Royc of Houston, Texas,
6.75L 90-degree V8, overhead valves with twin SU carburetors,
aluminum-silicon cylinder block with<> cast iron wet liners
and aluminum alloy heads, 189 hp., bore x stroke: (4.1 in x
3.9 in),
7.3:1 compression ratio, 5 main bearings, hypoid
bevel final drive, new rack & pinion power steering system
as well
as updated independent coil spring suspension front and
rear with link stabilizer bar, rear suspension is
augmented by a
hydraulic self-leveling system with the pump run from
the
camshaft, ventilated disc brakes front &
solid discs rear, dual
exhaust system, front passenger 3-point seat belts,
bi-level automatic climate control, 4-way
power driver & passenger
seats, cruise control, opera style rear window, full analog
gauges with driver information
center, controlled-cycle wiper system,
rear window defogger with heated exterior
mirrors, automatic door locks,
illuminated entry
system, rear opera
lamps, electronic tuning seek / scan AM/FM stereo radio
with power antennae,
accent pinstriping above the exterior chrome body
moulding, inspected and received a
$10,000.00
full service in Nov.
2011 - every system in the car was
reviewed/inspected and serviced/repaired, over $20,000 spent
on
service and
maintenance since Oct. 1999, today has cold a/c, no oil
leaks and all electrical items and mechanical systems are
functioning
correctly, a nice original vehicle that is in very nice condition and
drives extremely well, recent GoodYear
Weather Handler LS
whitewall tires 235/75HR15 with Tread Depth Measurements: DF: 10/32,
PF: 10/32, DR: 10/32, PR:
10/32 (10/32 is new
tire tread depth) curb weight of 4,646 lbs., all books and owners
manuals / supplements are present,
complete jack and
spare, paint is very nice and shiny overall - esp for Rolls Royce
acrylic paint!, windshield is excellent
with the exception of
one minor rock chip, Everflex roof looks new, locally owned for the
past 15+ years, 4 owners since
new, a very nice
example of 1980's British elegance, the Rolls Royce grille was produced
by one artisan and made entirely
by hand and eye – no
measuring instruments are used, it takes that man one day to make a
Rolls-Royce grille, and then
five hours are spent
polishing it, the Rolls-Royce grille adorned with the Spirit of Ecstasy
has become a worldwide iconic
symbol of quality and
prestige, the Silver Wraith was the long wheelbase version of the
Silver Shadow and was produced
from 1977-1980, this
Silver Wraith is one of the last of the 2,135 total built from
1977-1980, new base MSRP of $74,505.00.
The Rolls Royce
Silver Shadow & Wraith:
Overview
Rolls-Royce's most significant model since the Silver Ghost was the
Silver Shadow which, took 11 years to come to fruition and included
many technical refinements. The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is a
luxury car that was produced in Great Britain in various forms from
1965 to 1980. It was the first Rolls-Royce to use a monocoque
chassis / unitary construction, a response to concerns that the company
was falling behind in automotive innovation. The Silver Shadow
was a huge technical leap forward from its predecessors. The car
had every luxury option possible at the time. Gear change,
windows, seat adjustment, fuel filler cap, aerial, air conditioning and
heating were all electrically operated. A hydraulic system
with pumps operated from the camshaft was also a considerable
advance, as were power-operated disc brakes and self-leveling
independent suspension. Constant development had resulted in a
variety of improvements having been incorporated into the models from
the Silver Shadow range.
The Silver Shadow was produced from 1965 to 1976, and the Silver Shadow
II from 1977 to 1980. Having added a few important new features
was the reason why Rolls-Royce choose new designations for models
delivered from February 1977 onward. Initially, the model was
planned to be called "Silver Mist," a natural progression from its
predecessor Silver Cloud. The name was changed to "Silver Shadow"
after realizing that "mist" is the German word for manure, rubbish, or
dirt. As the mainstream model the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II
substituted the previous model and the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II was
added. The latter's long wheelbase offered four inches more space
for rear seat passengers and in fact this model was the successor of
the R-R Silver Shadow long wheelbase. The new rack and pinion
steering in combination with a modified front suspension reacted more
quickly than the recirculating ball steering of the earlier
models. All in all however these were interim models helping to
bridge the gap until a new model generation was developed for
production.
The most successful model ever produced by Rolls-Royce, the Silver
Shadow had a remarkable production rate of 16,717 units sold during its
12-year run. For such an expensive model, this was quite an
achievement. This vehicle was to be the future of Rolls Royce
Motors, a product of more than ten years of development, filling a gap
between the Silver Cloud buyer and the new generation of Rolls owners
and they remain to this day a Great British icon.
Design
and engineering
The design was a major departure from its predecessor, the Silver
Cloud. The John Polwhele Blatchley design was the firm's first
single bow model. More than 50% of its predecessor 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
original Shadow was 3½ inches (9 cm) narrower and 7 inches (18
cm) shorter than the car it replaced, but nevertheless managed to offer
increased passenger and luggage space thanks to more efficient
packaging made possible by unitary ("monocoque") construction.
Aside from a more modern appearance and construction, the Silver Shadow
introduced many new features such as disc rather than drum brakes, and
independent rear suspension, rather than the outdated live axle design
of previous cars.
The Shadow featured a 172 hp (128 kW) 6.2 L V8 from 1965 to 1969, and a
189 hp (141 kW) 6.75 L V8 from 1970 to 1980. Both powerplants
were coupled to a General Motors-sourced Turbo Hydramatic 400
transmission, except on pre-1970 right-hand-drive models, which used
the same 4-speed automatic gearbox as the Silver Cloud (also sourced
from GM).
The car's most innovative feature was a high-pressure hydraulic 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 leveling system; the front levelling was
deleted in 1969 as it had been determined that the rear levelling did
almost all the work. Rolls-Royce achieved a high degree of ride
quality with this arrangement.
The most successful model ever produced by Rolls-Royce, the Silver
Shadow had a remarkable production rate of 16,717 units sold during its
12-year run. For such an expensive model, this was quite an
achievement. This vehicle was to be the future of Rolls Royce
Motors, a product of more than ten years of development, filling a gap
between the Silver Cloud buyer and the new generation of Rolls owners.
1977
Silver Shadow II
In 1977, the model was renamed the Silver Shadow II in recognition of
several major changes, most notably rack and pinion steering;
modifications to the front suspension improved handling markedly.
Externally, the bumpers were changed from chrome to alloy and rubber
starting with the late 1976 Shadows. In 1979 a limited number of
Silver Shadow II cars were made to commemorate the 75th anniversary of
the company and were fitted with Red RR badges.
Long-wheelbase
variant, Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II (North America)
A long-wheelbase variant, some 4 inches longer to provide additional
rear seat legroom, was offered in the USA from May 1969, and available
to domestic customers from early 1970. Some long-wheelbase models
were fitted with a privacy glass divider and are now highly
sought-after by collectors. Initially, the long-wheelbase model
did not have a separate name, but in 1977, with the introduction of the
Silver Shadow II, the longer car was dubbed the Silver Wraith II.
The Wraith II is identified by all of alterations found on the Silver
Shadow II and additionally an Everflex covered roof (also available as
an option on the Silver Shadow II), a smaller rear opera-style window
(some customers deleted the smaller back window: for example Jo Bamford
of JCB) and different wheel covers. Some Silver Wraith IIs were
also fitted with electric divisions which took up the extra four inches
of leg room in the rear. Vehicles fitted with the division are
now considered highly desirable. These models today are still
sought after by collectors today.
Picks: This Rolls is in very nice overall condition, it has some minor cracks in the acrylic paint around the chrome trim
as they all do - (not visible until you are heavily inspecting the paint), the interior leather seating surfaces show a lot of
age lines and patina, interior wood is very, very nice except for the tops of the front doors, carpeting is nice but probably
the one thing I'd recommend replacing in order to really freshen the interior - trunk carpeting is the worst, all interior work
needed would cost approx. $5,500.00 to complete correctly and the car has been priced accordingly, windshield is very
clean except for one minor rock chip (no cracking and it has been professionally filled in), mechanically the car is 100%
and drives extremely well, no dents, dings or scratches in the body or paint, it has been garaged it's entire life, just fully
serviced and inspected, recent tires, the ultimate vehicle in luxury and status, nothing else to reasonably fault.
Numerical Condition Evaluation:
(1 denotes Very Poor / Item needs replacement, 10 denotes Excellent / Showroom New)
PAINT: 7.5
BODY: 9.5
CONV. (Everflex) TOP: 10
RIMS: 9.5
TIRES: 10
WINDSHIELD / GLASS: 6
LEATHER: 6
INT. CARPETING: 5
SERVICE RECORDS / OWNERSHIP HISTORY: 6
*Vehicle
is located at BMI - more information or photographs are available upon
on request. While every reasonable effort has been made
to
ensure the
accuracy of the above
data, mistakes regarding hp ratings, options, etc. can be made. I have
also done my best to be very
honest
and very
critical about the
cosmetic and mechanical condition of this vehicle. Of course, it is not
possible to pick-up on every single
detail
or flaw.
Please keep
expectations realistic as this is a pre-owned vehicle, and I have
personally found blemishes on brand new
undriven
vehicles. If
you are an
exceptionally detailed oriented person, please contact me to verify any
information directly, and I will do my
best
to specifically
photograph
anything you request and to answer any of your questions to the best of
my ability.
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