I have some history going back to the Pre Delivery Order from H J Mulliners to Claridge Holt & Co dated 4/29/1971. I believe the original owners kept the car for 20+ years and the guy I got it from had owned it since 2003 but not used it very much at all in the last 4-5 years. A friends wedding, Christmas parades and things of that nature but no real usage to speak of. So some long term ownership and some gaps in between but the important thing to me is that the old girl has always been cared for even when idle for lengthy periods.
So I have some paperwork all of which comes with the car. And the car does have its correct original Formal Sedan Long Wheel Base handbook in the glovebox in very nice condition. Now there is a rarity ! The original warranty cards and various letters from Rolls Royce are therealong with previous registrations et cetera.I am happy to photograph all I have and email it, just call me with your email address. 864 356 3343. Many thanks, David.
Some more questions that I will address publicly.Air conditioning: Yes, the AC works in both the front and rearcompartments. Having the divider window means having a dual control system and the front and rear controls work fine.
Electric windows: Yes they all work perfectly, positively whizz up and down including the divider glass. All except for the right rear. When either the right rear door switch or drivers door master control switch are pressed you can hear the window motor trying to work but there is virtually no movement. The power door locks do not work, just a faint click can be heard.
Brakes: There are no leaks that I can see anywhere, everything appears tight and leak free, the brake system reservoir is at least half full and the fluid is nice and clean. The pedal is just about on the floor. One Ebayer who seems to know about Shadow brakes suggests filling both sides of the reservoir to the full mark while holding the pedal down. I have ordered some RR363 which be be here the middle of the week and we will see if that brings the brakes up. I am a Silver Cloud era man and know a good bit about the 1955 to 1965 braking system but have to admit the 1966 on up Shadow system is a bit of a mystery. If anyone has any suggestions I would be pleased to hear. The rear suspension always sits at the correct height with no sign of sagging down if the car is not started for days.
Body and paint: My car painter Robert Taylor, who has been painting Rolls Royce and Bentley cars for many many years looked at the car yesterday. In his opinion most of the paint on the car is the original Masons Black it left the factory with. According to him the paint work could besympathetically restored and buffed out. There are four areas needing attention. The right rear door has a shallow dent, see pictures, that needs to be popped out and repaired. There is a crack about 6-8 inches long on the left C pillar that needs to be fixed. There is some paint repair needed by the right tail light, see pictures. Lastly there is arepair that someone has effected in the middle of the wheel well on the left front fender. This needs to be blended in as it looks like it was never buffed out properly according to Robert. Once these small areas are attended to and the small stone chips et cetera that all cars suffer are taken care of the whole caboodle can be buffed and polished. Robert will be happy to price this work if you wish for him to quote, he is an absolute master and has the patience of a Saint. Something you must have when working on these cars!
Interior: The Pre Delivery letter from H J Mulliner states that the car was fitted with VM3234 Beige leather to the front and Julian Fawn clothe to the rear. Obviously the frontcompartment seats have been retrimmed in a dark blue/black clothe. Its a nice job though I personallythink it would look better returned to original. The parcel shelf needs new clothe covering for sure and the whole interior would benefit hugely from a professional cleaning and detail.There is some staining of the clothe particularly on the left of the rear seat, see close up picture, but I think a lot of the stain could be lifted out with modern cleaners. The headliner is good with no tears or blemishes and just needs a very thorough cleaning. The rear compartment has its original Blaupunkt New Yorker Blue Spot radio, and it plays! I do have the original radio warranty cards. The rear Mouton Rugs are very nice and the whole rear compartment is free of any rips or tears. The rear heater / AC fans work and the original trunk mounted AC unit iscompletely intact as it left the factory.
A few more answers to Ebayers questions.
All the veneers are intact on the woodwor, there is some fading and checking. The finish on all the wood looks to be all original to me.
Yes, the car is for sale locally on Craigslist with best offer. This auction may close at any time if a sale is agreed.
Shipping to Europe in a 20 foot sea container averages $2,100 no matter which country or port. The car would ship from Charleston South Carolina. I will arrange all the export paperwork and drayage to the port, outgoing Customs clearance and so forth. All the buyer has to do is write a check to the shipping line when the vessel docks in his/her country.