1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I - Ex-Eric Morecambe OBE

For a couple of decades during the middle of the 20th Century, it seemed almost compulsory that celebrity Rolls-Royce owners had to be pictured alongside their car, posing self-importantly. Yet there was one gentleman at the very top of his game who just could not take himself or the trappings of his success seriously in front of the camera. The photograph included in this very special car’s history file defines the late Eric Morecambe in one image. Although a household name, he still looked, and importantly behaved, like everyone’s favourite uncle, he just wanted to get a laugh.

By the mid-1960s, and having worked hard since their double act was formed in 1941, Eric Morecombe and Ernie Wise had started to make some serious money. In 1968, the same year as the launch of The Morecambe & Wise Show, Eric bought one of the most expensive sports cars at the time, a Jensen Interceptor. The car played a significant role in saving his life during a period of ill-health, and his subsequent interview with Michael Parkinson also inspired our Chairman, Nick Whale, decades later to track down and restore that particular Interceptor. In 1971, Eric’s ambition of owning a Rolls-Royce was fulfilled when he bought his first of two Silver Shadows. As confirmed by his long-term chauffeur, the late Mike Fountain, Eric would usually sit up front and only used the back seat when he wanted to stretch out for a nap.

On 11th October 1974, this Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, finished in Walnut Brown with a Beige interior, was supplied new to Eric and bore his private EM 100 registration. The only registration the car has ever had, it is generously included by our vendor in the sale in recognition of its historical importance. The car was much loved by Eric, and it's poignant that he still had the Rolls ten years later when he sadly passed away, at the age of 58, on 28th May 1984. The family kept the car for a further 20-years until they sold it at auction in December 2004. The car had 74,000 miles on the odometer at the time, and the previous owner, from whom our vendor bought the car, had travelled an additional 3,000 miles to account for the odometer reading of 77,452 miles at the time of cataloguing.

Having never been restored, the bodywork and chrome bumpers present as one might expect, the beige leather has aged well and the lambswool rugs are pleasingly still in place although the walnut veneers show the usual bloom of old lacquer. With bills of £15,000 over the last ten years, the mechanical aspects of the car appear to have been maintained to a very high standard.

We conclude that few celebrity cars are available at this estimate and, with a number plate worth a significant sum on its own, this fabulous Rolls-Royce will surely bring you sunshine wherever it goes.