1983 Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertible
Coachwork by H J Mulliner, Park Ward Ltd
Registration no. HBA 586Y
Chassis no. SCAZD42A7DCX07052
Engine no. CZ36255

'The name Corniche has been chosen for the latest coachbuilt models because it symbolises their higher cruising speeds and their ability to cover greater distances with the minimum of fatigue for driver and passengers.' - Rolls-Royce.

Recalling its glamorous Grandes Routières of pre-war days such as the Phantom II Continental, Rolls-Royce's final coachbuilt models - entrusted to the company's in-house coachbuilder H J Mulliner, Park Ward Ltd - were limited to just two, a two-door coupe or similar convertible, the former arriving in March 1966 and the latter in September the following year. These cars were hand built in the best traditions of British coachbuilding using only materials of the finest quality, including Wilton carpeting, Connolly hide and burr walnut veneers, a necessarily lengthy process that took all of 20 weeks for the saloon and slightly longer for the more complex convertible. This painstaking attention to detail resulted in a price some 50% higher than the standard Silver Shadow's. Nevertheless, demand for these more glamorous alternatives to the much more numerous Silver Shadow was strong right from the start, a state of affairs that resulted in them being given their own model name - 'Corniche' - in March 1971. The Corniche proved a major success for Rolls-Royce; periodically revised and up-dated, it remained in production well into the 1990s, the last (Convertible) examples being delivered in 1995.

This left-hand drive Corniche was imported from the USA and first registered in the UK on 1st December 2014, since when it has had only one private owner. The car was purchased from Gullwing Motor Cars Inc of Astoria, New York and comes with a generally favourable Inspection Report dated 1st October 2014, compiled by Steve Linden Specialised Vintage Vehicle Services. This report notes that the original induction system has been replaced with computerised fuel injection manufactured by FAST. Since its acquisition by the vendor, the Rolls-Royce has benefited from expenditure of approximately £5,000 on various works including specialist engine servicing, new suspension spheres, new steering rack, sanded and re-polished paintwork, and re-Connollised interior leather (bills available). In storage since May 2015 'HBA 586Y'has recently benefitted from a service by Nigel Sandell and re-connolising of the leather trim at a combined cost of circa £1300, the car also comes with the aforementioned Inspection Report, current MoT certificate and a V5C registration document.