Cult 1:18 1974-1977 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow diecast model car review

When the Silver Shadow first wafted out of the Crewe factory in 1965, the starting price was around £6,500; equivalent to about £130K in today’s money. It was originally going to be called the Silver Mist, until somebody worked out that the word Mist had another meaning in German.

The new car represented a huge improvement over the ageing Silver Cloud. The car marked a number of firsts for Rolls. A unibody construction. Independent rear suspension. And disc brakes all round. The car also benefitted from a self-levelling suspension licensed from Citroen, making the car ride even more comfortably and serenely than previous models.

From 1970, a new larger, 6.75 litre engine was fitted, at which time all RHD cars were upgraded to the Turbo Hydromatic 400 3-speed transmission. These changes served only to enhance the car’s driveability, which may go some way towards explaining why the Shadow became, predominantly, an owner-driven Rolls Royce rather than a chauffeur-driven one.

The Silver Shadow was a wonderful and luxurious motorcar that behaved in the way one would have expected. It started on the button, the engine ran smoothly and silently, it drove well, although it still handled like a boat. Crucially, the new Rolls was also able to stop when called to do so.

Only now is the Shadow starting to get the recognition it deserves. They were made in quantity, but as time went on many fell into the hands of those who could not afford to maintain them, which is why good ones now command a premium, although strangely they still tend to be valued at less than an equivalent Rover P5B!

For me, it would have to be a 1976 1A, or a 2-door Mulliner Park Ward coupé; again from ‘76 out of preference. If you grew up in the seventies, as I did, the Shadow is the definitive Roller!

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