[felix]

Hi All,

I am looking to buy my first RR and I have no idea about these machines.
I have been restoring vintage Jaguars for many years but the RR bug has bit.
Can I get any pros or cons regarding the Corniche? (I am looking at 1975-81)
I happen to like the body and especially the convertible.
Are parts available? Is this a good model of the marque?
Can I get a reliable car or will I have a money pit?
There are no knowledgable technicians in my area that I can trust and I will be doing all of the repair work by myself. (except tranny & tyre repair)

Thanks
Felix

 

[KC Saayman]

Hi Felix

I’ll try to answer some of your questions just to get the discussion going. Hopefully some of the more experienced and knowledgeable guys will reply as well…

The model underwent many changes during its production run. The earlier cars were called Mulliner Park Ward coupes or drop head coupes. It became the Corniche in around 1972 or 3. To tell them apart look at the radiator grill, the Corniche has a deeper grill, when viewed from the side. Then in about 1987 the chromed bumpers were replaced by rubber bumpers, which gave the car a more modern look (in some markets the rubber bumpers may have appeared earlier) Note however, that unlike the 4-door Silver Shadow, the early Corniche with rubber bumpers was not called Corniche II. The Corniche II was only introduced in 1987, ten years after the introduction of the Shadow II. I mention this because earlier cars are often advertised as Corniche II’s, obviously at inflated prices.

Parts are freely available, especially if you have Internet access and a credit card. Like with Jaguars, there are several very good suppliers in the UK who ship worldwide.

Buy the best your budget will allow. A low-priced poor example is a money pit, but a well maintained example will give very few problems providing maintenance is kept up and only experienced people work on the car, or you do it yourself with the aid of lots of advice and a good workshop manual, both of which are freely available.

Good luck!

Regards

KC

 

[Bob Johnson]

Agree with the above advice. I make a list of what I like pros and cons, then buy the best vehicle I can find for my money. For my Spur chose 1987.5 over a 1991. Liked the color combo on the older same level of service and overall appearance. Add con in my opinion of active suspension. Made my choice easy. Bonus again in my eyes, mine has Everflex delete. I will do the same with my eventual Corniche purchase, pros and cons. Leaning towards 1987.5 as well on this one. Big thing again personnel preference, fits a theme and like the analog clock along with temperature gages. The digital items on older 1980's series, just does not look as good. No offense for those with those vehicles.

With the search another item on my list. Makes more picky in search at least for myself. Not only the best, also try and look at color interior along with exterior, that I would order if new. Hence the real bonus of no Everflex.