Sir Michael Caine’s first automobile, a Rolls Royce, with its doors still intact, has been sold at auction for £120,000. Sir Michael purchased the two-door 1968 Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe for £10,511 in its first year of production, the same year he became a household figure.
The hand-built automobile was one of only 506 of its kind ever produced and was meticulously restored prior to sale.
It was acquired by a telephone bidder at Duxford’s Imperial War Museum.
The automobile was constructed by Rolls Royce’s in-house coachbuilders, Mulliner Park Ward, in 1967, according to the provenance documentation included with the sale.
Its original price would be equivalent to $147,709 in the current currency.
It was described as having a “superlative combination of opulent leather hides, rich wood veneers, and deep lambswool carpets” and was rated “as exquisite as it was costly.”
Sir Michael, then 35 years old, described himself as “the ultimate bourgeois nightmare – a Cockney with intelligence and a million dollars” in the late 1960s when his earning potential began to increase.
The actor reportedly entered the Jack Barclay store in Berkeley Square in London with a scribbled shopping list that said,
“Milk, bread, newspaper, smoke, Rolls Royce,” but was turned away due to his untidy look.
The auctioneer stated that he then purchased the Silver Shadow from another Rolls Royce dealership, H A Fox in Mayfair, and hired a chauffeur to drive him past the original showroom to show off.
On Wednesday, 121 classic, collector, and performance automobiles were auctioned off in Cambridgeshire.
Prior to its sale, it received considerable restoration, including a complete repainting in its original black color.
Two years later, Sir Michael sold the car to nightclub owner Jack Leach, who owned it for 43 years until his death in 2013.
Damian Jones, the senior motorcar specialist at auctioneer H&H Classics, stated,
“Sir Michael Caine is a true British legend, so it’s a pleasure to be able to offer his very first car, which is also a fantastic British classic, for sale.”
“The combination of Caine and the Silver Shadow, two icons of coolness that are instantly recognizable and greatly adored, is an extremely unusual occurrence.”
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