Lot 216 - 2000 Rolls-Royce Corniche V

• One of only 38 right hand drive examples of the Corniche V ever manufactured
• Supplied new to Hong Kong, UK registered

By the 1960s, Rolls-Royce had finally accepted that many owners might actually prefer to drive their own cars, launching the Silver Shadow with owner-driver comfort in mind, and no doubt appreciated by those chauffeurs still in service. The two-door convertible version of the Silver Shadow soon followed and has been without argument the most successful convertible ever produced by Rolls-Royce. First introduced in 1966 as the ‘Silver Shadow Mulliner Park Ward Two-door Drophead Coupé’, it eventually became apparent by popular demand that this version deserved to have its own model name so, after a few cosmetic changes in 1971, the Corniche was born. Whilst the Coupé was discontinued in 1980, the Corniche Convertible was produced until 1995, remaining largely unchanged cosmetically, with a production total of 5,678 convertible cars.

The purchase of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. by Volkswagen in 1998 may have raised a few eyebrows but it secured the future of not just Rolls-Royce but also Bentley, a roaring success that surely would have pleased W.O. himself. The licensing and production agreement between Volkswagen and BMW came to an end in 2003, and the two brands went their separate ways with Rolls-Royce production moving to the new BMW-owned factory in Goodwood, launching the V12-powered Phantom later that year whilst Volkswagen spearheaded Bentley’s new chapter, one of the most significant relaunches of a brand in living memory. Only one new Rolls-Royce model was produced under Volkswagen holding ownership, the Corniche V, and the last Rolls so named.

Launched in 2000 with a list price of £300,000, the most expensive car then offered by Rolls-Royce, the Corniche V has many unique distinctions, not least being the last V8 powered Rolls-Royce, with the 6.75 litre engine enhanced by a turbocharger borrowed from Bentley. Whilst sharing design elements with the Silver Seraph, it was based on the Bentley Azure’s platform. The Corniche V remains one of the rarest models produced by Rolls-Royce, and out of 329 cars handbuilt at Crewe, just 38 were produced in right hand drive. Interior refinement and build quality remained as high as ever with lashings of leather and the finest of wooden veneers, and Rolls-Royce still remained the watchword for excellence.

One of the 20 right hand drive cars built in 2000, this fabulous Corniche V was delivered new to the philanthropic scion of the Tang family of Hong Kong on 27th December 2000. The very rare colour combination of Black Garnet, Fireglow Red leather interior and contrasting Wildberry cloth hood adorns the car. Used sparingly and maintained by Rolls-Royce Hong Kong, the car was brought over by our vendor, importing it into the UK, as declared in the NOVA dated 23rd February 2023. An enthusiast of rare Bentleys and Rolls-Royce, our vendor commissioned marque specialists to service the car’s power hood and launch a programme of maintenance works before having the car registered in the UK with a V5 registration document to his home in West London.

Supplied to auction with 7,300 kilometres, at the time of cataloguing, on the odometer, this car’s mileage equates to just 4,563 miles. The history file incudes prior registration documents, handbooks and the most recent UK receipts for the aforementioned works.

A simply stunning car that is rarer than all of its contemporaries whilst the gleaming black coachwork is purposeful, and the red leather interior cuts a dash. When one considers the low mileage, we can only conclude that this is a truly collectable example of one of the rarer Rolls-Royce models produced.