Every week, we’re tracking the values of the most popular classic cars on the UK market. Thanks to our friends at Classic Car Weekly, we can focus on one car and compare its values from 2005 to today – and then anticipate where they will be in 2025. This week, we take a detailed look at the doyen of 1970s and ‘80s luxury, the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Was it really the best car in the world? Classic Car Weekly’s editor David Simister tells the market story of this classic’s future growth.
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – The current situation
Anyone who has been keeping track of market trends, especially since the beginning of the 2020 lockdown, will know that Rolls-Royce Silver Shadows have been hardly been going up in value – but what’s clear from these prices is that they also haven’t been affected much by the wider ups and downs of the classic market in recent years.
Values have moved up compared to where they were a decade or so ago, but when inflation’s taken into account these gentle giants have remained almost static when it comes to prices, save for concours examples. It’s not that they aren’t excellent cars with show-stopping appeal, but many classic car owners assume that running one is beyond their means – but we’ll bet that a nice ‘Shad will be cheaper to keep on top than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or BMW 7 Series.
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow values – the onward march
We’re tracking Condition 2 examples here, and the strange thing is that many ‘Shads are hard-working vehicles, often in a nice shade of white, and regularly seen wearing ribbons. Examples found at classic car auctions, can be tempting, but a big, complex car like this car hide a myriad of issues that might only come to light once it’s on the four-poster. So, unless you’re already a Royce specialist, we’d suggest heading out to a dealer or enthusiastic club member who’s selling a known quantity.
You can smell the excess from here…
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow price tracker
What these averages, based on auction results, don’t show is the vast gulf between the very best examples, like the ex-Jay Kay example that made £30,000 last in June 2020, and the procession of rougher examples making £5000-6000, skewing the results. We reckon that values will continue to go up for the best examples, but so many out there, don’t expect any significant rises.
Below are the typical prices for a Condition 2 example between 2005-2025.
2005 £11,000
2010 £12,000
2015 £12,000
2020 £15,000
2025 £17,000 (anticipated)
ABOUT CLASSIC CAR WEEKLY
Classic Car Weekly is the UK’s biggest-selling weekly classic car publication. It’s at the heart of the classic car scene, packed with cars for sale, news, reviews, nostalgia and advice.