• 6.75-liter V8
• Automatic transmission

• Ex-Carriage House Motorcars
• Former Arizona car
• Carefully maintained by its current, long term owner

Introduced in March 1971, the Corniche was a revised version of the H J Mulliner, Park Ward-bodied two-door variants of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and Bentley T-Series saloons, themselves notable as the Crewe factory's first unitary-construction cars. In Corniche form, Rolls-Royce's well-tried 6.7-litre V8 produced around ten percent more power than standard and proved capable of propelling the car to a top speed in excess of 120mph with sports car-beating acceleration to match. The model proved a major success for Rolls-Royce, and although its exterior style remained recognizably Silver Shadow, the Corniche/Continental benefited from the regular up-dates and improvements made to the contemporary Silver Spirit range. Remaining in production well into the 1990s, the last (Convertible) examples were delivered in 1995.

Dating from 1981, the car we present here was ordered new into Canada and then transferred to the renowned Carriage House Motor Cars, then of New York City, for resale. This particular dealing agent was well known for importing new Rolls-Royces in this way; when they arrived they were correctly updated to meet U.S. emissions systems prior to being sold. Twelve years later, the Corniche was purchased by the current owner from a dealership in Long Island, New York, by which time it had covered 60,000 kms.

By the time the car arrived to its warmer climate of the neighboring Phoenix, AZ, the car was sent to Scottsdale Auto Body to be repainted after a prior repaint had proved unsuccessful. Other work that would later follow included new leather on the front seats and a new top. The car would see regular use while in this state before moving to Atlanta, Georgia, where dissimilarly its use has been rather limited, thus the decision to sell the car.

Throughout nearly 20 years of the present ownership, it is clear that the car has always been maintained properly and, to the knowledge of its owner, it has never suffered the indignity of an accident. Offering stylish, fully convertible motoring for four, a Corniche represents a terrific way to experience this legendary brand.