British actor Sir Michael Caine’s first car, a 1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe, has recently popped up online for auction thanks to H&H Classics.
The auctioneer expects the car to fetch between £100,000 to £150,000 ($NZ191,000 to $NZ287,000) when it goes under the hammer because of its well known previous owner and rarity.
Caine’s Rolls-Royce has undergone an extensive restoration by its current owner but previously lived an interesting life after leaving the factory as one of 506 models ever made.
In 1968, Caine attempted to purchase his first Rolls-Royce after visiting the Jack Barclay showroom with a handwritten shopping list which read, “milk, bread, newspaper, cigarettes, Rolls-Royce,” but was ushered off the premises due to his unkempt appearance.
Instead, he visited another dealership in Mayfair where his Silver Shadow sat waiting to be purchased after it was taken back into stock after playwright and screenwriter, Terence Rattigan, cancelled his order for it.
At the time, Caine didn’t have a driver’s license so he employed a chauffeur to ferry him around of which he ordered to drive past the Jack Barclay salesman who refused to serve him, giving him a “V” sign in the process.
The car was sold on just two years later to Jack Leach, the owner of a popular restaurant for the rich and famous, who possessed the Silver Shadow for 43 years.
“Appearing in more than 160 films across seven decades, Sir Michael Caine is a true British icon, so it’s a pleasure to be able to offer his very first car for sale, which in itself is another great British classic,” comments Damian Jones, Senior Motorcar Specialist, H&H Classics.
“From its original purchase by Sir Michael, and its subsequent 43-year ownership by infamous Gasworks restauranteur, Jack Leach, the car’s history is truly captivating and one which I’m sure will delight and fascinate the new owner.”
H&H Classics will auction Sir Michael Caine’s first car at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, UK, on March 15, 2023.
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