In December of 2011, I came across this car, one of my most momentous Curbside Classic finds up to that time. I can remember when Silver Shadows were sometimes seen on television, and (rarely) in my midwestern version of IRL (what my kids used to say instead of saying “in real life”). By 2011, you almost never saw a Silver Shadow either on or off screen. So, you can imagine my excitement, as a guy relatively new to the constant hunt for CC material, at finding this genuine CC-quality Roller.
And then the problems started.
This was going to take a lot of research. For instance, what year was this example? I knew that the rubber-clad bumpers put it later in the model’s life cycle, but that was the best I could manage. Life was busy and I had a whole bagful of photos that I could turn into CC pieces with so much less effort. And so one year turned to another and, well, here we are.
The good news is that in the interim, Tatra87 has done the heavy-lifting and gone into the weeds of Rolls-Royce-dom, relieving me of that burden. And now, as I continue to occasionally scroll through my old photos for cars that still deserve exposure here, this old Rolls once again tapped me on the shoulder and ever-so-politely whispered into my ear “Pardon me, old man, do you have a few moments to spare?” And, at long last, I am able to answer “Of course. Please step over here and tell me about yourself.” Sadly, this car is not the talkative type, so I am left on my own to imagine its story.
The last time I got serious about writing this one up, I deduced that it must have been made around 1975. But I have forgotten why I came to that conclusion and declined to go down that rabbit hole again. OK, I ran back into the hole really quickly and was reminded that the 1977 Silver Shadow II made some changes to the dash and console areas, and this is the older Silver Shadow I.
I like to think that this car was delivered to Albers Rolls-Royce in Zionsville, Indiana. Zionsville is a small bedroom community northwest of Indianapolis, and was for many years home to the only Rolls-Royce dealership in the state of Indiana. That business is still around as the place to go for parts and service on Crewe-built Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. Perhaps old Herman Albers himself sold this fine motorcar to one of the more monied families in Indianapolis.
Could it have been someone like Ruth Lilly? Ruth was the great-granddaughter of Col. Eli Lilly who started a small pharmaceutical company in 1876. You may have heard of it. Anyway, would this not have been the perfect car to ferry an aging and increasingly reclusive philanthropist on her rare forays out of the house? I like to think so.
It is undoubtedly pure coincidence that I photographed this car about two years after Ms. Lilly’s death at the age of 94 in December, 2009. But my, how terribly this poor thing was treated in the time before I saw it in December of 2011. Or perhaps the next owner learned that the care and feeding of an aging Rolls-Royce is not a task to be taken on by someone without a stout heart and a bank account with more than a single comma.
When a Rolls degrades to the point where it suffers the ills of lesser old cars, it can suffer an existential crisis. “What am I, and where is my place in the world?” That bottle of Castrol on the back seat is not at all the same thing as Grey Poupon.
This car sports these highly unusual wheel covers – or at least three of them.
Can you imagine being the guy who was responsible for losing one of them? But the gentlemen at Albers would probably fix you right up with another. It probably would not cost more than $2,000 or so for a N.O.S example.
When these were new, I considered them the most elegant of cars. To this day, when someone mentions “Rolls-Royce”, this is the car that comes into my mind. It was what a new Rolls looked like from the time I was old enough to pay attention to cars (1965) until my adulthood when I was old enough to know that I would never be able to afford one (1980). Scratch that – if we are willing to relax our standards a bit, I can claim to be a Silver Shadow owner based on the Hot Wheels version somewhere in my basement. But I would understand if some in the Rolls-Royce community object to my inclusion within their ranks. The Silver Spirit which followed these cars starting in 1980 was definitely more modern, but lacked some of the elegance that I saw in the Shadow.
So, can you blame me for wanting to take this poor example home and give it some love and affection? Of course, love and affection (and elbow grease) might bring a decent shine out of that paint and chrome. And then again, it might not, as I recall that the paint would probably prompt a “Tsk-Tsk” from those who love these cars. Sadly, we all know that love and affection without the addition of cold, hard cash (and lots of it) would not likely get a person very far with one of these.
And that is the most maddening thing about this car: Its condition is clearly too good to write it off as a hopeless hooptie. But it is not anywhere near nice enough to be what the car is supposed to be – an elegant conveyance for well-to-do members to take to the club for a day on the links or to a formal charity gala in the evening so as to be able to write large cheques. So there the poor thing sits (or at least sat) – stuck in the In Between. A 2019 movie of the same title described “the in-between” as a window between life and death, where souls can communicate with one another.
After I took these photos, I never saw this car again. Could it and I have briefly shared some odd paranormal dimension where it was trying to communicate something with me? We will never know, but perhaps this old Rolls can rest a little easier (wherever it might be) knowing that I have finally fulfilled my duty and shared something of its story. If only from my imagination.
I always admired these cars and they became quite cheap. But when I watched a youtube video about changing the rear brake disks on a Silver Shadow I immediately knew that it would cause too many headaches to own one of these cars.
The Citroen licenced suspension scares most people away from old Rollers, dont know why its a simple system.
The Shadow was so much nicer than the Spirit that followed it, which looked like it was made of Lego. A really elegant design that contained enough Rolls cues without being a pastiche and has aged rather nicely. It was technically advanced as well, of monocoque construction with its all independent suspension using a version of Citroen’s hydraulics, where its predecessor had used a live rear axle and separate chassis.
Its successors didn’t really advance on this until, under BMW ownership the new Phantom was introduced.
I hope this example found the love it needed and is still wafting around…
Like you, this is the mental picture I get when hearing “Rolls-Royce”. There is something elegant and refined yet quite durable in this design. I will see the periodic current Rolls or Bentley; those pale in comparison to these to my eye.
That said, I seem to remember these used GM transmissions for some period of time. Is my mind playing tricks on me?
All LHD Silver Shadows had Turbo Hydra-Matic (GM400) transmissions. Early RHD cars had the final iteration of the Rolls-made Dual Range Hydra-Matic, with an aluminum case and some internal revisions for smoother shifting.
From RRs first automatic untill BMW bought it they used GM transmissions, Funny thing about the lost hubcap years ago when they were new and rare here a millionaire fisherman lost a hubcap from his new Roller and offered $500 reward for the finder. Happy Yovich is still in the fishing industry but I have no idea what they drive now.
Isn’t the strength of brand-association and marketing an insanely powerful thing? I have the very same associations about Rolls Royce, and yet over the years I’ve really never heard/read much that would make me think that owning one would be something at all reasonable, even if it were possible. And frankly, given how the prices of ones of this vintage have generally declined, ownership by simple peasants like me might be possible.
My Hot Wheels version was actually a Matchbox, and it was a 1907 Silver Ghost Models of Yesteryear. I knew about those ancient Rolls’ before I registered that they were still around as a luxury brand…and that realization only deepened my feelings that a “modern” Rolls must be something truly special indeed. Of course, I had that realization when “modern” was only about 60 years after 1907; which at that time was not much longer in the past than this 1975 car is from today. Hummmm.
I wonder if that 1975 car has single stage paint. If so, it could have been made to shine. And then if the owner had stopped putting open bottles of oil on the leather upholstery…. OK, it’s not mine. Never will be.
Great find and article!
Far worse than oil, it’s brake fluid, egads! Used in both the braking and suspension systems, I wonder which one is leaking?
I noticed that too. I bet it’s not cheap.
“Castrol RR363 is specially designed for use in powered hydraulic systems requiring a glycol ether type fluid, such as those used in Rolls Royce vehicles manufactured prior to 1980, having a chassis number of less than 50000. It is the only fluid approved by Rolls Royce for use in this application. “
Brake fluid is not used by Rolls Royce in those cars they use LHM of the old green variety, why? Because the braking and suspension is licenced from Citroen.
When dervelopment of the shadow was underway RR spent a minor fortune trying to improve on the ride an ordinary Citroen DS gave its driver they fasiled miserably and licenced Citroens system, Up and down Citroens finally began using brake fluid in the hydractive cars as the could not modify the hydropnuematic system for stabilty conytol systems
In New York and Vermont the registration sticker on the windshield shows the make and year. Do any other states do this? It helps for cars that don’t change much from year to year.
fun fact: in New York the make is only five letters so this would actually be a RO/RO. A long time ago I owned a MO/MO – can anyone guess what that was?
Moto Morini, if it was a motorcycle, typically 350 or 500cc. Always wanted one, but they’re quite scarce.
Oh that makes much more sense than Morris Moke!
What a beauty!.
Rolls Royce never disappoints.
I’d wager it lost its vinyl roof when repainted. I’m glad we now get to see so many old girls naked, but hate it when they sag on the ground.
Mo/MO = Morris Moke?
I’m just a few years older than JPC and my image of a Rolls Royce was always a Silver Cloud. Or the similarly styled but larger Phantom V limousine. The Silver Shadow just looked to me like a scaled-up Peugeot 403 with a Rolls Royce grill. Still does in fact.
Ditto. These were a huge letdown. And they never kept their value like the Silver Cloud. Today a Silver Cloud is worth at least 4 times what a Silver Shadow is worth. Speaking of, Hagerty values a ’75 Si;very Shadow at $9,400 in good condition. Or about the price of one major repair. 🙂
Probably the major factor is that these were a dime a dozen in LA at the time. That alone drove down their prestige value significantly. One had to have a Corniche at the minimum to get folks to even look at your Roller.
Whenever I see these Silver Shadows, I’m instantly transported back to when they were new and had an extremely impressive aura. I was a kid then, but in the rare event I’d see a Rolls-Royce, I’d always look to see if a famous person was driving it. (I had no success in actually spotting famous people that way, though).
Nowadays, when I see examples like this one, it seems almost surreal – as if something once so toppy shouldn’t be hanging around regular parking lots in typical used-car condition.
Your image of Albers Rolls-Royce brings up another interesting point. Back in the 1980s and before, many R-R dealers were very low-key… almost the anthesis of our modern-day concept of “luxury.”
I remember Philadelphia’s Rolls-Royce dealer. Keenan Motors (Mercedes & Rolls-Royce) was located in a rough part of North Philadelphia, in an area that today would be called inner-city. It was right on Broad St., so we’d drive past there occasionally and even as a kid I was struck by the marked contrast… in the middle of a gritty and trash-strewn area was an old but very clean and well-maintained car showroom full of the world’s most expensive luxury cars.
Eventually, the dealership moved the Mercedes franchise to the suburbs, and sold the Rolls-Royce franchise to a glitzy Cadillac dealer in New Jersey. Too bad, but inevitable.
And just one more thing to add to your imaginary history of this Rolls-Royce: I recall my father mentioning that he knew someone who owned a Rolls-Royce in the early 1970s. He wasn’t a business magnate or the scion of a wealthy family. Instead, he made his money by selling light bulbs (a light bulb salesman who eventually started a lighting supply warehouse). So possibly this Rolls-Royce had a similar history… I’d love to know!
North Broad Street was once one of Philadelphia’s most elegant and prosperous areas. A natural location for a Rolls-Royce dealer (up to about 1950). After that, the neighborhood went downhill, and so much beautiful architecture has been lost.
True, although Keenan wasn’t located near the once-prosperous areas of Broad St. The address was 3900 N. Broad; it’s an area that had always been middle or working class, and then slipped into being a struggling area in the later half of the 20th century.
I believe the dealership itself began as a Studebaker dealer, and then acquired a Mercedes-Benz franchise. They had more luck with Mercedes than Studebakers, so in the early 1960s they dropped Studebaker and brought in a lot of foreign makes (MG, DKW, Austin-Healey) to supplement Mercedes. Rolls-Royce was added to the mix at that time too – I have no idea who sold R-Rs in Philadelphia before that. Eventually the other makes went away, and the dealership remained with just Mercedes and Rolls-Royce.
I get the sense that Keenan sort of stumbled into the luxury end of the market, but it worked for them. And they probably considered their location decent for a while because it was relatively centrally-located in the region, and they had a lot of square footage (if I remember correctly, their facilities used up pretty much a whole city block). There’s not much information about this dealership online… I’d love to find out more from someone who knows more of the story.
Incidentally, the mansion in your picture belonged to PAB Widener, who was Philadelphia’s richest man in the late 1800s. I believe he (and others) built these houses on N. Broad St. because they were considered “nouveaux riche” and were somewhat shunned by the “older money” Philadelphia families.
Widener moved out of that house around 1900 because be built a new house in one of the close-in suburbs, which had also become somewhat of a magnet to the nouveaux riche. An image of that house is below – it was designed to resemble Versailles. That house is still standing, but sadly it’s been largely gutted over the past few decades by a series of rather shady owners. The gutting neglect of that place is one of the great tragedies of historic preservation in the Philadelphia area in the recent years.
In the 1990s I got to drive a 1977 RR Silver Shadow lwb (looked about like this picture). Very different from other cars. Doors close like a refrigerator. Interior has lots of leather, everything beautifully crafted, but somehow looks a little “primitive”. Black “school bus” steering wheel. Yes, very quiet and smooth–maybe a little over-soft on some surfaces. In those pre-SUV days, you sat a little “higher” than everyone else as you looked over that pre-war looking, chiseled hood with the winged ornament atop the classic radiator. You feel very rich and “above” everyone else driving this car.
There is a lot of complexity under the hood–you get the feeling that this is not a car you can work on yourself. I almost bought it, but was talked out of it at the last minute. Don’t remember the price, but it wasn’t that much for a Rolls.
The problems with this car are two: Parts & repairs will be very expensive. And you will be noticed by everyone while giving off this air of pretension.
I like my 2005 Jaguar S-Type because it provides that air of British luxury but is sportier, more practical, and classy without being so blatant.
I have a dream of one day pulling the trigger on one of these Silver Shadows, but the minuses are really hard to overcome.
About 20 years ago I lived on Dearden Street, Hulme, Manchester – the English one.
This was the site of Henry Royces factory. The whole area was cleared in the 1960s and 70s and redeveloped as a giant public housing estate with tower blocks called Rolls and Royce Crescents. They quickly became notorious and were pulled down in the 1990s and replaced with low rise affordable housing, which is when I lived there.
As they were new build houses we all optimistically hoped to find RR souvenirs when we dug the gardens.
Nothing to do with the cars!
Silver Shadows got cheap to buy in the 80s and 90s and many were given a cheap white spray and pressed into service as wedding cars.
The Volvo dealer in Nashville was in the worst hood back in the 80’s/90’s(lafayette street next to the Naipier projects) Just the place your bougie white flight Volvo buying clientele wants to go to. That area is still a shithole today, despite all the new tall skinnies.
As for Rolls Royce, I don’t have the proper land and titles to be chauffered in one. Id look like pretentious nuevo rich douche bag. And Im not nearly tattooed/hipster/indie rocker enough to drive a beat up one as some sort of ironic statement about classism.
I love the color here .
-Nate