You knew you were a high-roller in the late 1970s if you drove around (or were chauffeured around) in a 1977 Silver Shadow II. This British-built four-door stickered at an eye-watering $65,000 back then. To put that into perspective, the retail price of a Ford Pinto the same year was $3,780. It would set you back the price of 17 Pintos to come up to the level of the Rolls. Think on that for a minute!
The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1977 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Dunkirk, New York. (Click the link to view the listing)
“This is an excellent example of a hand-crafted automobile that made Rolls-Royce famous,” the listing begins. “The car is in excellent condition and has been professionally maintained by a nationally recognized expert in this type of vehicle since I bought the car about ten years ago.”
The Silver Shadow was produced in a variety of forms for a decade and a half between 1965 and 1980. Examples from 1977 to 1980 (including today’s feature car) were referred to as the Silver Shadow II. There were some design changes that took place for 1977. Non-U.S. cars gained the alloy and rubber bumpers that had been federally mandated in the states since 1974. The small grilles beneath the headlights were removed. And most importantly, mechanical updates included the introduction of rack and pinion steering along with improved engineering in the front suspension.
The cabin looks exquisite with its blue leather seating, monogrammed floor mats, and lots of glossy woodgrain trim. Rolls-Royce had some advanced features at the time. The climate control system had separate controls for upper and lower cabin temperatures, and the dash had an array of warning lamps for brake pressure, coolant level, an ice warning, and fuel level.
Lastly, check out the rear passenger compartment! No executive ride would be complete without fold-down tray tables. Power comes from a 6.75-liter V8, and the seller says, “Starts and runs great. Smooth, quiet, and elegant ride and is quite a head-turner on the road and at shows.” The seller says that maintenance logs are included.
The asking price is $26,500 or best offer, which is a small price to pay for a car that (when inflated to current dollar values) sold for over $300,000 when new. Lifestyles of the rich and famous indeed.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
