Pardon Me, Do You Have Any Grey Poupon? 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow vs 1989 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur

For our final one-make Showdown of the week, I thought we’d class the place up a little bit and look at some Rolls-Royces. The British firm has a long and rich history of making some of the finest cars ever, but that doesn’t stop depreciation from hitting them hard. These two are a bit out of our typical price range, but they’re still pretty cheap for what they are.

Yesterday we looked at two Suzukis, one that was sold here new, and one that came in after it got old enough for the government not to care anymore. By more than a two-to-one margin, you chose the 4×4 Vitara that came here through official channels when it was new. The automatic transmissions in both cars sapped some of the fun, but the majority of you felt like it was a bigger sin in the little Alto.

I agree. I think the Alto with an automatic would be a fun curiosity for a little while, but it would get boring quick. A manual would make that car more entertaining for longer. The Vitara should also be a stick for maximum enjoyment, but it’s fine with an automatic. I guess.

I want to start today’s Showdown with a book recommendation: The Perfectionists, by Simon Winchester. It’s an excellent history of precision measurement and its importance in shaping the modern world. It’s a fascinating read, and I think plenty of you would find it as entertaining as I did. The reason I bring it up now is that it includes an entire chapter on Rolls-Royce. In it, I learned that you should always refer to the company by its full name, Rolls-Royce, and never shorten it to just Rolls. Why? Because Henry Royce was the engineer who made the early cars as good as they were. Charles Rolls was mostly just a salesman.

Rolls-Royce cars are more myth than machine these days, since only a select few can afford its now BMW-based offerings. But cars from the 1970s and ’80s can be found for relatively cheap, parked neatly at the bottom of their depreciation curve. They’re expensive to maintain and repair, and sometimes not worth the trouble. But at these prices, the temptation to be able to say “I drive a Rolls-Royce” can be strong. Should you give in? Let’s take a look at a couple of them and find out.

1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – $13,525

Image: Craigslist seller

Engine/drivetrain: 6.75-liter OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Santa Monica, CA

Odometer reading: 23,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Rolls-Royce didn’t actually sell any complete cars until 1949. Before that, you bought a running chassis from Rolls-Royce, and had a coachbuilder put a body on it. In 1965, however, Rolls-Royce jumped into the modern era with this car, the Silver Shadow, which has a unibody design. This car was built for fifteen years, and it’s still the car I think of when somebody says “Rolls-Royce.” Absolutely everybody famous had a Shadow at some point, and now you can have one, too.

Image: Craigslist seller

Behind that classic waterfall grille and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament is a 6.75-liter V8, with “sufficient” power output. It drives the rear wheels through a GM Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission – yes, the same transmission as in your uncle’s Impala. It’s probably the most reliable part of the whole car. It’s not the only part of this car sourced from another company; it also features a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension system licensed from Citroën. The seller says it runs and drives “exactly as it should,” but doesn’t provide any details.

Image: Craigslist seller

The end of coachbuilt Rolls-Royces meant a certain degree of personalization was lost, but the possibilities were still extensive. Witness this car’s green (!) leather interior. Green interiors weren’t that uncommon in the ’70s, but typically you’d seen them in green cars, Pintos and Skylarks slathered in green vinyl and fake plastic woodgrain. This isn’t that. This is Connolly leather, wool carpets, and burled walnut. The front seat bottoms need some repair, but the rest of the interior looks really clean. I don’t know what’s up with that steering wheel, though. I’ve never seen one like that in a Shadow before.

Image: Craigslist seller

It’s in good shape outside, but that added-on bump strip along the side is absolutely criminal. Hopefully it’s just the tape-on kind, and no holes were drilled in the doors. I do kind of wish it were some other color besides white, but I don’t know what else would go with the green interior. Green, I suppose.

1989 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur – $9,900

Image: Craigslist seller

Engine/drivetrain: 6.75-liter OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Woodland, WA

Odometer reading: 71,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

The Silver Shadow was replaced in 1980 by the Silver Spirit, along with a long-wheelbase version called the Silver Spur. It’s largely an evolution of the Shadow, with updated styling and a few technological advancements, but the broad strokes are the same.

Image: Craigslist seller

Its 6.75-liter V8 is the same as the older model, only this one is fuel-injected. This engine actually existed long before and after this car; it was in production for an astonishing sixty-one years. It’s still backed by a TH400, and the suspension is still hydropneumatic. The seller says it runs and drives well, but it needs new tires; they’ve aged out. And it needs an alignment after the tires are replaced.

Image: Craigslist seller

The interior is the classic Rolls-Royce concoction of leather, wood, and wool, but in a more sedate color scheme. Everything is power-operated, of course, but it doesn’t all work; the power seats and a couple of windows are inoperable. It wouldn’t be a British car if all the electrics worked, though, would it?

Image: Craigslist seller

Outside, things are a little weird. This car originally had a vinyl top, but the vinyl has been removed, and the roof has been painted with what the seller calls “black undercoating.” It’s a strange choice. I guess it doesn’t look terrible, but can’t you come up with something better for a car like this?

There are probably more foolish things to spend money on than a fully-depreciated Rolls-Royce, but few as classy. The expensive-to-fix parts of both of these work fine, so you should be good for a while, but the repair bills will catch up to you eventually. Until then, however, you get to see that winged hood ornament guiding you on towards adventure – or maybe just the supermarket for some mustard. Which one would you choose?

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