Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II

by Mark S. Perleberg

A RR doesn’t break, it simply “fails to proceed.”

The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was introduced in 1965 at the Paris Auto Show. The product of more than ten years of development, this car was to be the future of Rolls-Royce Motors, bridging a gap between the traditional Silver Cloud buyer and the next generation of Rolls owners. The Silver Shadow, in addition to being a rather shocking break from Silver Cloud styling, at least to Rolls traditionalists, also saw the change from a solid rear-axle suspension to an independently-sprung one. Produced from 1965 to 1976, the Silver Shadow was the best-selling Roller to date, with 16,717 units sold during a twelve-year run. The Silver Shadow II was introduced in 1977, and was a bridge to the Silver Spirit that followed it in 1981. Technological advancements were made to the 6750cc V8 engine to counteract power-robbing and increasingly stringent smog regulations. The engine continued to feature an aluminum-silicon cylinder block with cast iron wet liners and aluminum...