CarBrandLogos archive · Rolls-Royce · 1965

Rolls-RoyceSilver Shadow

The first monocoque from Crewe, and the car that made the marque genuinely modern.

Photo: SG2012 · CC BY 2.0

The story

A defining chapter in Rolls-Royce history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Everything about the Silver Shadow of 1965 was a departure. Rolls-Royce abandoned the separate chassis for unitary construction, which lowered the car substantially and gave far more interior space for its length; it fitted disc brakes on all four wheels; and it adopted a self-levelling suspension using high-pressure hydraulics licensed from Citroen, which also powered the brakes. Independent rear suspension appeared for the first time on a Rolls-Royce.

1977-80 RR Silver Wraith II · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

The styling was restrained to the point of anonymity, and that was intentional. The company had judged that a certain kind of buyer no longer wanted a car that announced itself from a distance, and the Shadow was priced and packaged to reach people who would previously have bought something considerably less expensive.

1979 RR Silver Shadow II · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

1967 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow DHC by Mulliner Park Ward

In production

It worked to an extent nothing before it had. With 30,057 built to 1980 the Shadow was by a wide margin the best-selling Rolls-Royce yet made, and it supported a family of derivatives: two-door saloons and convertibles that became the Corniche, and the angular Pininfarina-styled Camargue. The 6.23-litre V8 grew to 6.75 litres in 1970, and a General Motors three-speed automatic replaced the earlier four-speed unit.

1967 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow DHC by Mulliner Park Ward · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

Legacy

Its life spans the most turbulent period in the company's history. Rolls-Royce Ltd collapsed into receivership in 1971 over the cost of developing the RB211 aero engine, and the car division was separated and floated in 1973 as Rolls-Royce Motors, an independent company that would later pass to Vickers and then to Volkswagen and BMW. The Shadow sold steadily throughout, which is largely why there was still a car business to sell.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1965–1980

Units built

30,057

Engine

6230&nbsp

Body

2-door Sedan

Technical specification

The Silver Shadow, in detail.

Production: 1965–1980; 30,057 produced
Class: Full-size luxury car (F)
Body style: 2-door Sedan (automobile); saloon; 2-door convertible; 4-door Sedan (automobile); saloon
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: 6230 cc Rolls-Royce–Bentley L-series V8 engine#6.25; L410 V8 engine; V8 (1965–70); 6750 cc Rolls-Royce–Bentley L-series V8 engine#6.75; L410 V8 (1970–80)
Transmission: 4-speed automatic (1965–70; RHD only); 3-speed THM 400 automatic
Assembly: United Kingdom: Crewe, England
Manufacturer: Rolls-Royce Ltd (1965–1973); Rolls-Royce Motors (1973–1980)