1983 Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertible

• Beautiful Corniche in the rather stylish colour combination of Seychelles Blue over Magnolia hide
• A glamorous resident of New York for most of its life and returned to the UK in 2017
• A remarkably low 32,135 miles covered, supported by an American CARFAX report
• Accompanied by its original handbooks, factory toolkit and jack
• The recipient of a recently completed three-year recommissioning process, including a bare-metal repaint, a new mohair hood and full mechanical service
• For the Corniche, the revered 6.75-litre aluminium-alloy V8 engine produces around 10% more power than standard, giving a top speed of more than 120 mph and sportscar-beating acceleration to match

The two-door convertible version of the Silver Shadow has been, without a doubt, the most commercially successful convertible ever produced by Rolls-Royce. First introduced in 1966 as the ‘Silver Shadow Mulliner Park Ward Two-door, Drophead Coupe’, to give it its full title, the car was instantly in demand. When Rolls-Royce launched the two-door cars, the international jet-set began to clamour for attention at the dealerships. With waiting lists measured in years, these hugely desirable vehicles began to change hands at significant premiums over list price and one can imagine the hushed negotiations over the green baize of the gaming tables at Crockfords, the Palm Beach and Aspinalls. Customers who ordered the Drophead were not the same people who purchased the company's sensible saloons and the cars were frequently specified in bright colours and eventually it became apparent that this version deserved to have its own model name so, after a few cosmetic changes in 1971, the Corniche was born. The name originally comes from the French word for a coastal road, especially along the face of a cliff, most notably the Grande Corniche along the French Riviera above the principality of Monaco, and it was thought at the time that this new name would convey some of the style and glamour of Monte Carlo and, fifty years later, it still does. 

Rolls-Royce envisioned a time when owners would like to drive their own cars and the Corniche continued to be developed with this in mind and even had a rev counter fitted as standard. Around 10% more power was coaxed from the proven 6,750cc aluminium-alloy V8 endowing the two-door with a top speed in excess of 120 mph and sportscar-beating acceleration to match. Progressively developed, the Corniche received Rolls’ advanced split-level air conditioning system along with a re-designed fascia in 1976 - the first Rolls-Royce model to do so. A mild restyling was on the cards for the Spring of 1977 and the differences included rack-and-pinion steering, alloy and rubber bumpers, aluminium radiator, and oil cooler. Despite its sky-high asking price, the model proved a major success for Rolls-Royce; periodically revised and updated, it remained in production well into the 1990s, the last (Convertible) examples being delivered in 1995.

The car presented here dates from 1983 and was personally imported by our car-collecting vendor in the Summer of 2017, having been a New York inhabitant for most of its life. Used sparingly, as most ‘Big Apple’ stately automobiles often are, it has covered just 32,135 miles. It's accompanied by its original handbooks, its factory toolkit and jack, a handful of receipts and an American CARFAX which supports the low mileage.

Upon its arrival here, the car was fully serviced, MOT’d and UK registered. Whilst close inspection revealed it to be rust-free, there was evidence of some minor lacquer peel on a few areas of the bodywork. Subsequently, with the intention of keeping the car, the vendor commissioned it to be stripped to the bare metal and re-painted in its factory colour of Seychelles Blue whilst the coachlines were hand-painted in Magnolia to match the interior leather. The paintwork now presents in superb, better-than-new condition and is a sight to behold.

Now, with this standard of bodywork, the car was treated to a completely new mohair hood with a matching lambswool inner lining. All the interior wood has been specialist re-veneered and lacquered, whilst the seats, although in excellent condition, have been professionally cleaned and refreshed. The car wears a set of new Avon Turbospeed white-wall tyres.

Many thousands of pounds have been invested to make this Corniche one of the best available and it's accompanied by a full photographic record of its recommissioning by numerous specialists, a project that has taken three years and much expenditure to complete. Unsurprisingly, the car drives and performs as well as you’d expect, with all auxiliaries elements correctly working too.

An unexpected change of circumstances regretfully means that our vendor must now part with his Corniche, a car he had aspired to own for several years, having sourced a very sound example and enjoyed the process of bringing back to its absolute best. Freshly MOT’d and always garaged since its renewal, this sparkling Corniche is the perfect addition to any collection of special motor cars.

These beautiful convertibles have a timeless elegance and this delightful example looks superb in the head-turning colour combination of Seychelles Blue with blue-piped Magnolia hide and navy blue carpets. Anyone who saw one of these with the top down when they were first introduced would have found it difficult to conceive that an amalgam of steel, glass, Walnut and leather could have been formed into something so utterly desirable.

(The registration ‘BEE 633’ is not included in the sale of the car but is available by separate negotiation).