ROLLS-ROYCE Silver Shadow 1965-1980 Photos, engines & full specs

It was the most expensive Rolls-Royce of its time and it was built for 15 years with some updates down the road. It went through an update in 1977, but the overall appearance was kept the same.

The Silver Shadow was a gamble by the British car manufacturer. It came to replace the larger Silver Cloud II model, which was larger. But the Silver Shadow featured a unibody construction and that led to bigger interior space and a more comfortable ride.

Back in 1965 most of the vehicles on the market had the front engine and rear-wheel drive with a solid axle. It was a reliable solution, but not the most comfortable one. Rolls-Royce noticed the difference in comfort from the Citroen Traction Avant. Interested in what the French car-manufacturer did to offer that comfort it also discovered the hydropneumatic suspension which he used under license but improved it according to the bigger and heavier Rolls-Royce.

Inside the car, there were numerous features intended for luxury. The car featured rear leather seats and real wood panels. There were no man-made materials for that. It also featured power windows and locks which, by those times standards were a novelty. On top of that, the front seats featured an electrically adjustable position for front-rear and up-down.

Between 1965 and 1969 the car was equipped with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, but from 1970 model the 6.75-liter unit was installed. Rolls-Royce used that engine displacement even after it was taken over by the BMW, and the first vehicle built under the German ownership was also a 6.75, but with a V12 architecture for the Phantom VII.