Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Convertible
Pre-owned by Cassius Clay.
In 1965, Rolls-Royce inherited the ageing Silver Cloud with the completely redesigned Silver Shadow sedan. Above all, the shape of the first self-supporting steel body of the marque was much more modern and finally got rid of the expansive fenders of the prewar era. Inside the Silver Shadow offered more space, although its overall dimensions were smaller. Independent suspension, a central hydraulics system with level control to Citroën patents and disc brakes all around were also included in the standard equipment. At the same time, the departure of the classic frame chassis meant the end of many coachbuilding companies. In the UK, only James Young and the merged company H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward Ltd. survived. The latter was commissioned by Rolls-Royce in 1966 with the production of a Two Door Saloon and from 1967 additionally on this basis, a four-seater Convertible.
Under the bonnet Rolls-Royce mounted the 6.3-liter V8 engine from the Silver Cloud III with a four-speed automatic transmission until 1970 and then changed to a 6.75-liter V8 and a three-speed automatic. The power increased from about 178 to 200 hp, although the company and dealers only spoke about ‘sufficient power delivery’. While over 16,000 copies of the sedan ran off the line, the numbers of the Two Door Saloon and the Convertible remained very restrained. Only 505 open four-seaters were created between 1967 and 1971 (followed by a name change to Corniche), of which 272 had the steering wheel on the left side. No wonder, after all, it was the most expensive offshoot of the brand – around 50 percent more expensive than the sedan! Such a prominent pre-owned vehicle will be available for auction on October 5 at Bonhams ‘The Zoute Sale’.
This silver-painted Silver Shadow was delivered from the factory to the Rolls-Royce dealer in New Jersey and then to its first owner in December of the same year. He was known as Cassius Clay and became known in later years by his muslime name Muhammad Ali. Why he bought this car can not be said for sure anymore. Maybe he celebrated the regaining of his boxing license. This had been withdrawn in the wake of the Vietnam War in 1967 along with his passport when he resisted to fight with the US Army for religious reasons. Likewise, the boxing federation took away his world champion title, while a court sentenced him for conscientious objection to five years imprisonment and 10,000 US$ fine. On bail, he was spared the trip to prison, but he had to give up a full three years of boxing because he wasn’t allowed to travel.
When he got his passport and his license back in 1970, the joy would have been very high. In addition, Cassius Clay was a great Rolls-Royce fan throughout his life, so the purchase of the most expensive model of the time was probably tackled on this occasion. After about six years, he sold the car to another owner in the US. In the following years, the Convertible found its way back to Europe and has been part of a Dutch collection for many years. A complete restoration never took place, only the interior with the rare optional headrests got fresh leather color. The extensive documentation of this car includes not only the vehicle documents and the original equipment data sheet, but also a copy of the temporary driver’s license of Cassius Clay, a photo book and a print of the image of Cassius Clay with his close friend Diana Ross next to the Rolls-Royce outside Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, where he fought in 1973 against Joe Bugner. Bonhams expects a hammer price between 46,000 and 69,000 US$.
Images: Bonhams
