Launched in 1965, the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow represented a sea change in the way Rolls-Royce approached car production, and reflected a gradual change in the type of people who bought them. Spawning everything the Crewe marque created until its involvement with BMW, the Shadow left its mark on over 30 years of Rolls-Royce and Bentley history. Its replacement, the Spirit has yet to capture the hearts and minds of classic car enthusiasts in quite the same way.
The Silver Shadow was Rolls-Royce’s first car to use a modern unitary construction, but was destined to use the same engine and gearbox as the outgoing Silver Cloud, which meant a V8 of 6.2 litres coupled to a four-speed automatic gearbox.
Available from the factory initially only as a four-door saloon, some coachbuilders such as James Young took the opportunity to develop twodoor derivatives. Rolls-Royce’s in-house coachbuilder Mulliner Park Ward was swift to respond with a two-door Silver Shadow of its own, later rebranded the Corniche. This was accompanied by a drophead convertible.
Unsurprisingly, the Silver Shadow family followed in the footsteps of
