Restoring a Rolls-Royce: separate chassis or monocoque?
A Rolls-Royce restoration depends first on how the car is built. The Silver Cloud, made from 1955 to 1966, sits on a separate steel chassis that carried either a factory body or coachwork: H. J. Mulliner, Park Ward and James Young clothed a good number of them. The Silver Cloud I has a 4.9-litre straight six; the Silver Cloud II and III, from 1959, received the V8. On these cars, the body can be lifted off and the chassis restored on its own.
With the Silver Shadow in 1965, the marque moved to a monocoque. The shell carries front and rear subframes on flexible mountings, which hold the engine and running gear. Panel work is then carried out on the shell itself, held on a jig to keep its dimensions. The Corniche and the Camargue, derived from the Silver Shadow, follow the same logic.
Silver Cloud and Silver Shadow corrosion: where to look
Classic Rolls-Royce cars rust like other cars of their time, often beneath paint that still looks good. On a Silver Shadow, the sills, wheel arches, floors, lower wings and subframe mounting areas are the first places we examine; on a Silver Cloud, the chassis, its cross-members and the lower body.
Both models combine aluminium doors, bonnet and boot lid with a steel body. Where the two metals meet, electrolytic corrosion can make the paint bubble. Touching up the blister achieves nothing: the area is stripped back to sound metal, lost sections are remade or replaced, then the whole receives suitable protection before primer. The model’s particular points are covered on our Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow page.
Corniche and Camargue: restoring the derivatives
The Corniche, a coupé and convertible built by Mulliner Park Ward from 1971, uses the Silver Shadow’s mechanicals and stayed in the range until the mid-1990s. On the convertible, the hood, its mechanism and its lining are part of the restoration, as is the sealing of glass and weatherstrips.
The Camargue, styled by Pininfarina and built from 1975 to 1986, is rarer. It shares the Silver Shadow’s mechanical base but has its own body, with specific panels and trim parts: sourcing them starts at the inspection stage, and the origin of every part, original, equivalent or reconditioned, is stated.
Two-tone paint and a hand-painted coachline
Many classic Rolls-Royce cars wear two-tone paint, with the colour split following the body line and often underlined by a fine coachline. Traditionally applied by brush, that line is a detail the eye catches at once if it wavers.
To recover a period colour, we start from the car’s paint reference, where it is known, and compare test panels with an area that remains original. The colour split is marked out before the first coat, and the coachline comes last, on polished paint. The stages, from primer to final polish, are described on our car paintwork page.
Chrome, radiator shell and Spirit of Ecstasy
A classic Rolls-Royce is recognised from afar by its temple-shaped radiator shell, crowned by the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot. Bumpers, overriders, hubcaps, window surrounds and handles complete a brightwork ensemble that must be flawless: pitted chrome is noticed before anything else.
The workshop takes care of rechroming, from removal to refitting, as well as the restoration of the radiator shell and the mascot. Each part is labelled and photographed on removal, then refitted with new seals and checked gaps.
Mechanicals, hydraulics and cabin
A full restoration also deals with what cannot be seen. The aluminium V8 is overhauled or rebuilt according to its condition, the cooling system cleaned, the automatic gearbox checked. On the Silver Shadow and its derivatives, the high-pressure hydraulic system for the brakes and self-levelling is completely renewed: pipes, hoses, accumulators and seals, with the fluid specified for the car.
The cabin comes last. Leather, wool carpets and burr walnut woodwork are remade or restored as you choose, as described on our Rolls-Royce upholstery page. You receive photographs of the key stages, and nothing is added to the estimate without your approval. Our general method, from bare metal to first drive, is set out on the classic car restoration page.