Well-known as the ultimate purveyor of luxurious automobiles since launching its celebrated Silver Ghost Tourer in 1908, Rolls Royce has manufactured the World's finest motor cars for more than a century.
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The men from Crewe introduced their utterly modern Silver Shadow model in 1965 as a 4-door saloon. Shortly thereafter, a 2-door variant appeared, hand-built at the rate of one to two per week by Rolls' subsidiary H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward of London. Exact numbers are hard to establish, but Malcolm Bobbitt, noted Rolls Royce authority, suggests that just 199 left hand drive examples of this gorgeous Coupe were made, all for export, before it was renamed Corniche in 1971.
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This particular MPW Coupe, chassis No. CRX 2541, was a LHD U.S. delivery vehicle, ordered through Rolls Royce U.S.A., Inc., residing at 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York.
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The customer was a retiring U.S. army Brigadier General and he specified a Regal Red exterior, with parchment leather inside.
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Second owner for over 35 years was a phone company executive. For much of this time, the car lived in Saratoga, Calif., sheltered and rarely driven, which explains the quite low actual odometer reading of only 71,913 miles.
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This Rolls comes with a plethora of books and records, including all five volumes of the rare factory shop manual, the original handbook, lubrication and maintenance chart, service booklet, and even the owner's guide for the MOTOROLA AM/FM radio. Also included are several tune-up and spare parts, as well as the factory-supplied, chromed crank handle for manual operation of the windows, should the Lucas Gods ever decide to call it quits.
Additionally, seventy-two (72) pages of documents outline major work that has been performed over the years:
- In 1983, the Coupe received restorative brake and suspension work to the tune of $4,920.27. You could have bought a nice, brand new Chevrolet for this tidy sum, back then.
- Fourteen year later, the car was treated to a bare-metal respray, spending 22 months at a specialist's garage. The twice-monthly invoices for this work add up to $25,591.02.
- An additional $2,964.50 was spent on a stainless steel exhaust system
- Miscellaneous electrial and tune-up work, as well as a new set of radial whitewall tires, added up to a grand total to $34,949.95.
Let's have a closer look!
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Regal Red, the car's original color, is a most striking and elegant hue and really sets the MPW Coupe apart at gatherings of the faithful. Finish is super glossy and smooth, entirely free of imperfections such as bubbles, chips, scratches, dings or dents. Manually applied, golden coach line lends a finishing touch.
This Rolls Royce is fit for royalty!
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Opening the bonnet reveals a spotlessly clean engine bay. Though the factory never released horsepower ratings for its engines, Rolls Royce always had a stellar reputation as a builder of quiet and powerful motors, for aeroplanes and fine automobiles alike, and the 6.2-liter V8 of the MPW Coupé is no exception. For added smoothness, it was coupled to the Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission, outsourced from General Motors.
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This particular specimen of British engineering tradition fully delivers on its promise, running as smooth as a Swiss watch, with no untoward noises, unpleasant smoking or worrisome oil leaks. On a recent 400-mile trip to Palm Springs and back, the big Coupe earned the title of "World's Finest Personal Luxury Touring Car" from us!
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Turning our attention to the car's interior, we are quite frankly overwhelmed by its state of preservation. Only the best materials Mother Earth had to offer were utilised by supremely skilled, old-world craftsmen to assemble an ultra-plush cockpit; during the past five decades, it has acquired the uniform patina so beloved by the true connoisseur.
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The burled walnut dashboard is majestic to look at, with its finely detailed switchgear and large, white-on-black instruments. Every light, gauge, and switch works flawlessly, as do all accessories, such as air conditioning, power seats and power windows.
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Closely observe interior details such as the finely mirrored wood (left and right side match exactly), the original MOTOROLA radio (which works perfectly), the cloth-lined glove box with functioning light, the period HEUER accessory stopwatch, mounted to the glove box lid, and you will realize the meticulous care invested to manufacture this car, entirely by hand. Forty-six years old, it certainly remains one of the World's finest automobiles!
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Only THE BEST would do for a mid-century Rolls Royce; subsequently, the factory ordered these marvelous reclining front seats, moving on electrically powered tracks and lavishly covered in the finest Connolly parchment leather hides directly from Germany, from the Porsche-owned Reutter works, to be exact.
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Spacious rear compartment offers room for two to three adult passengers. The irreplaceable, original leather remains in a fantastic state of preservation, strong and supple, with no dryness, no burn holes or any other wear beyond the desirable patina of a low-mileage, garaged-away-from-the-elements automobile that was driven sparingly by its non-smoking owners.
Note factory lap belts with Rolls Royce insignia on the chrome-plated buckles.
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Ready for a test drive?
So are we, however, we'd like to take a good look at trunk and undercarriage first.
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Cavernous trunk easily holds all the luggage needed for that long, continental vacation on the French Riviera. It presents itself all original, including the Hardura lining and Wilton wool carpeting. Black bag visible on the left contains the factory jacking equipment, a.k.a. the "heavy tools." The "small tools" are stored in a small bakelite box atop the battery, which hides behind the removable cover to the left.
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Big and small tools, looking virtually untouched.
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Clean undercarriage has that typical, very busy Rolls Royce appearance. Having always been cared for properly, regardless of cost, and garaged most likely every night of its life, the car has never suffered from abuse, and it definitely shows! Click on the image to the left for an XXL-sized view |
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Photos above show the Rolls' superbly preserved undercarriage in more detail. Make sure that you extend them to their full size.
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New Year's Day and blue skies provided the perfect opportunity to take the Rolls out for a quick tour through our favorite San Buenaventura del Arzobispo neighborhood.
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Faultless would be the most fitting word to describe this car's performance. The powerful engine whispers, the transmission shifts almost imperceptibly, the compliant suspension fully lives up to its reputation, the ventilated, power-assisted disc brakes respond to the softest touch and anchor the heavy vehicle with authority.
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On the road, one is always pleasantly aware of Emily, the Flying Lady mascot, a masterpiece of fine English silversmithing. It feels wonderful to drive this Rolls!
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The old adage "they don't make 'em like this anymore" does apply here. While production methods may have improved in regard to precision and output, not even a brand new Rolls Royce or Bentley can deliver the allure and ambiance of its entirely hand-built predecessor. Back in the 1960s, a wealthy Gentleman with style and values would expect to be able to order a bespoke suit commissioned directly on Savile Row, or his private blend of Eau de Cologne from Floris on Jermyn Street, as well as his personalized motorcar, be it a Dual-Ghia, Bristol, or Mulliner Park Ward 2-door Saloon; arcanely exclusive luxuries completely unattainable to the hoi polloi.
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"Buy the best example you can afford" has been and still is very sound advice, and this fully sorted, low mileage classic certainly is a worthy candidate for those lusting for a vintage Rolls Royce. In fact, we have never seen one in person that's in better condition: original, unmolested, always loved like a favorite child, a potential family heirloom. Plus, it's the best-driving Silver Shadow or Corniche we've ever encountered. Depreciation is a non-issue; to the contrary, prices are going to continue their steady rise as more and more collectors realize the inherent quality and rarity of these chrome-bumpered Coupes, making for a huge upside potential still to be realized.
Addendum:
We sold this exquisite Rolls Royce in Spring of 2014.
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