Lot details Registration No: T.B.A. Chassis No: CRH35807 Mot Expiry: March 2012
Rolls-Royce registered the Corniche name in the 1930s and apparently assigned it to a prototype based on the Bentley MK V, but the model was never progressed due to the onset of WW2. The moniker was finally first employed in 1971 on the Coupe and Convertible versions of the Silver Shadow. In common with the Shadow, the newcomer was penned by in-house designer John Polwhele Blatchley and the underbody and floorpan crafted by Pressed Steel Fisher. Initial assembly (including alloy bonnet, bootlid and doors) was then carried out by Mulliner Park Ward of Willesden, London - by then a wholly-owned division of Rolls-Royce. At this stage the cars were transported to the main factory in Crewe for the installation of the running gear before returning to London for the trimming, painting and finishing.
Power was provided by the company's long-standing 6.75-litre V8, whose origins dated back to the 1950s. This was mated to a GM Turbo Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic transmission. Suspension was independent by coil springs all round, augmented by a Citroen-originated hydraulic self-levelling system. Braking was by discs, with ventilated units being phased in for 1972. The model received a mild update in 1977, when alloy and rubber bumpers replaced the earlier chromed items and new style wheel rims and reversing lights were fitted. Under the bonnet, an aluminium radiator was adopted and an oil cooler added to the specification, while changes to the passenger compartment concerned newly designed seats and refashioned fascia. A total of 1,226 of these Corniche IIs were produced before the Corniche III was phased in during 1986.
The right-hand drive Corniche II Coupe on sale was manufactured in 1979. It sports Ivory coachwork complemented by a Dark Brown leather interior. The vendor regards the bodywork, paintwork, interior, engine and transmission as all "excellent".
PLEASE NOTE: The MOT for this vehicle expires March 2012.
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