Photo: YouTube/Dennis Collins
In 1980, the Lincoln Continental Mark VI was the most expensive American-made automobile, with a base price of $21,424. It offered ample seating for five passengers, a 5.8-liter V8 with 140 net hp (the famous 351 Windsor small block Ford engine), and plenty of tech and luxury options. And yet, even with that scathing price tag, it was a bargain compared to one other luxury car from the period – the first one to break the 100-grand barrier as starting cost: a low-production Rolls-Royce.
At that time, a US-spec Silver Wraith II started at around $102,000—not exactly everyone’s cup of tea, given that A) it was expensive as hell to buy, own, drive, and care for, and B) there weren’t that many built in the first place. The model’s production span lasted between 1976 and late 1980, and around 2,140 examples were assembled. Sources vary slightly regarding the exact numbers (2,136 to 2,144), but it’s certainly below 2,150.
Although most sources indicate that the last production date was October 1980, that date is inaccurate, as there are examples with a November 1980 build date on the door tag. Dennis Collins found one in Anna, Texas, sitting in a garage since 2000, never driven in the past 24 years, but in outstanding condition. (As a side note, on the Bentley Genuine Parts catalog website, chassis LRL41384 is accounted for January 1981).
Photo: YouTube/Dennis Collins
The car has spent the entire time on a ranch without having rolled its wheels on the backroads because the owners – a couple of nice Texans with proper manners, both on and off the road – considered it unfitting. Not to drive the car but to show off in a luxury automobile to their good-hearted, honest-to-Piston Texan neighbors. The cowboy and cowgirl knew better than to flash their classic British car in front (or behind) people who understood and appreciated the value of a hard-earned buck.
Before their ownership, this beautiful status symbol of the eighties – the British Royal family had one just like it – was the pride and joy of another Texas family. However, the previous proprietors of this mechanical gem probably didn’t care much for car culture. They used the wonderful Rolls-Royce for more mundane purposes. The $100,000+ Silver Wraith II served as a hay silo and playbox for farm dogs.
The man who bought it wanted to surprise his wife (the sweet lady courteously recalling the story in the video) with a classic car. The husband was well accustomed to English cars – he owned two Jaguars from the 60s and 70s – and when his beloved spouse spotted a Rolls-Royce driving by one day, she hinted at the possibility of getting one.
Photo: YouTube/Dennis Collins
The couple was a FoMoCo family (they always drove new Lincolns, hence the reference to this brand at the beginning of this story) and the man secretly purchased the degraded, agriculturalized Rolls and began restoring it for Thanksgiving. Sure enough, he presented it to his lady at the right time with a diamond-incrusted key and a nice big red ribbon bow tied to it.
That was in 1993, and the family moved to Anna in 2000; in the seven years, the car served its duty with dignity, taking the owning family to car meets and other Rolls-Royce Owner’s Club events around Houston and Dallas. In the 43 years of its existence, the nice Silver Wraith garnered a hefty 136,000 miles (218,870 kilometers). This doesn’t sound like much for a contemporary hatchback, but in 1980, few cars lasted that long without major overhauls.
Granted, the car’s mechanicals were not affected by its temporary assignment as a dog entertainment facility, as only the wooden panels on the dash were affected by scratch marks. Also, the venerable 6.75-liter V8 was a stout powerplant capable of going forever with proper maintenance and care. In 1980, the engine was good for an estimated 217 hp and 398 lb-ft (220 PS, 540 Nm).
Photo: YouTube/Dennis Collins
Compared to the Lincoln Continental Mark VI cited in the opening paragraph of this story, it was quite a quantum leap forward and upward. This royal-looking automobile was a hefty piece of motor engineering, weighing 2.3 tons. Still, it drove like a dream thanks to its three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 transmission and self-leveling suspension. That’s right, the most prestigious car brand in the world was relying on the tried and tested General Motors gearbox to haul heads of state, monarchs, and industry tycoons.
We don’t know if this formidable piece of European motoring is still in working order – although the engine bay looks clean and nice, just like the rest of the blue-blooded English machine. We can say that this barn-stored car is in magnificent shape (even without the wood dashboard panel), and it will probably get even better. It fully deserves it, even for looks’ sake, if for nothing more.
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