Rolls-Royce Zilveren Schaduw II

"When things don't happen right away, just remember; it takes 6 months to build a Rolls Royce, 13 hours to build a Toyota." - Rolls Royce

An iconic slogan coined by Rolls Royce to make a quality statement. Let me give you a small example: first, the grille of a Rolls Royce is assembled by hand. Then the stainless steel is hand polished for 5 hours until your valet Charles can count his whiskers in the reflection before he drives "the Rolls" in front. Henry Royce therefore modestly said that Silver Shadows do nothing that other luxury cars cannot do, but they do everything a little better, with more precision and manners.

Henry Royce's favorite aphorism came from the Latin: "whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble." This is reflected in the Silver Shadow's design. It is all perfectly executed and yet manages to excel and stand out in every detail in a modest way. For example, Jim Brokaw selected leather hides for Rolls Royce's interior. Out of every 10,000 hides, only thirty were deemed good enough to be placed under the aristocrats' backs. The rest of this high-quality leather was used for the handbags of the ladies who, of course, also liked to be driven around.

This Rolls Royce was originally delivered in England in 1977 by Jack Barclay, the world's oldest Rolls Royce/ Bentley dealer. It has traveled only 85 thousand miles in the company of well-mannered passengers, and it shows. The color intrigued us for weeks; Caribbean Blue. This color impresses us when you see the car in real life. When you walk next to it, you are not sure if it is hip or chic. A true 1970s color that is now very much back in fashion.

We sold this car once before two years ago, and when the owner called us if they could trade the Rolls in, we didn't have to think twice. The car has been neatly maintained and recently received German H-Kennzeichen. No need to worry about stalling and having to keep Dame Beatrice waiting for your weekly High Tea Yahtzee session. The car lends itself perfectly to unsolicited parental advice in style. After all, no one dares contradict you when you arrive in this tropical sea blue piece of English history. All the original badging is still on it, as befits English gentlemen. A true collector's item.

Will you come for a test drive soon?