Early '80s barn find Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II desperate to be saved, but getting it back on the road is no easy task
- A 1980s Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II proved difficult to restore
- Discontinued parts can be more expensive than the car
- However, the team persevered with the classic luxury barn find
Published on Jan 10, 2025 at 6:20 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jan 10, 2025 at 7:52 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A content creator from London, UK, had a 1980s Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II brought into the shop from a barn find that proved difficult to restore.
Hailing from the early part of the decade, it had been non-functional for years.
The car is generally known for its luxurious features and celebrity fans.
However, issues with its fueling, spark, and faulty distributor meant it could possibly have been too far gone to save.
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Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II barn find
When the car arrives at the Farringdon shop of Alex Kersten of Autoalex Cars several red flags are waved.
The team diagnosed issues with the ignition system, distributor cap, and carburetor.
While Alex is ‘dedicated to automotive financial mistakes’ – this could be a step too far even for him.
“Every electrical system seemed to have its own unique gremlin — it was like playing whack-a-mole with faults,” Kersten admits.
Plus its age means ousting these gremlins will be no easy feat – although it’s a surer bet than the cheapest Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye that was bought for $19,000.
“Getting parts for a car like this is a scavenger hunt—some components are rarer than the car itself,” he said.
Previously mechanics have come up with ingenious solutions for the missing parts of the luxury cars.
The restoration
After several issues and multiple attempts, they were able to replace components including the seized engine, hydraulic suspension system, and the entire braking system.
If that’s not enough, the team also rebuilt the carburetor, adjusted the timing, and addressed electrical problems to get the car back on the road.
Frustratingly, the vintage Rolls-Royce failed to start at a crucial moment while at a classic car show.
Back to the drawing board and the team persisted with new spark plugs, fuel, and repairs, before they’re finally able to fire it up.
As for owner Lewis, who’s owned five or six cars from the luxury brand that hadn’t run: “I’m honestly ecstatic,” he admitted.
The love for the luxury car brand is universal like the Sultan of Brunei’s 600-strong Rolls-Royce collection.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
