The Porsche 911 is a sports car made by Porsche. It’s famous for its recognizable look and performance-focused design. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as a specific car that stands out by color and style.
The Toyota Prius is a car that uses a gas engine plus an electric motor. That helps it use less fuel than many regular cars. The podcast mentions it because the speaker wanted that specific kind of efficient car.
“Caribbean blue” is the name of the car’s paint color. With classic cars, the exact color shade can be a big deal for originality.
Car
Rolls-Royce Shadow 2
This is a Rolls-Royce from the “Shadow” generation, and the Shadow 2 is the later, improved version. The speaker likes it because it looks a bit cleaner and drives better—especially the steering.
The Silver Shadow is the Rolls-Royce model that came before the Shadow 2. The host is basically saying the Shadow 2 is the nicer, cleaner-looking version, and that finding a good Silver Shadow is harder.
“Gubbins” just means extra bits and pieces. In this case, the speaker means the Shadow 2 has fewer extra-looking details, so it looks cleaner.
Concept
dealers website
The host is describing how the car was found and purchased quickly after it appeared on a dealer’s online listing. For listeners, this is a practical “how it happened” moment: spotting a listing early can be the difference between getting a desirable classic and missing it.
“V8 burble” is the distinctive rumbling/crackling sound a V8 makes. It usually happens when you’re just cruising or easing on/off the throttle, and it’s part of the engine’s personality.
A “three-speed auto” is an automatic gearbox with just three forward gears. It’s older technology, so the car often feels less smooth and less efficient than modern automatics with many more gears.
“De-restricted” means the car has been modified so it’s not as limited as it was from the factory. The engine can usually make more power and feel more responsive after the restrictions are removed.
“Kicked down” is what happens when you push the gas pedal all the way in an automatic car. The transmission drops to a lower gear so the engine can pull harder and the car accelerates more.
The Citroën DS is known for a suspension system that makes the ride feel smooth and “floating.” The host is saying the other car feels similar—more like gliding over the road than driving a typical modern car.
Camber is how a road slopes sideways. If the car “follows the camber,” it means the road’s sideways slope is pulling the car’s path slightly, so it can feel like it’s drifting even when you’re not steering much.
“Super light steering” means the wheel turns with very little effort. That’s handy for parking and city driving, but it can also make the car feel a bit twitchy if the road is uneven.
Turning circle is how tight the car can turn—basically how much space it needs to make a U-turn or park. A “very good” turning circle means it’s easier to maneuver in tight city streets.
“London taxi turns” is a way of saying the car can turn very sharply, like a city cab. It’s meant to describe how easy it is to maneuver in tight streets.
This is a classic Rolls-Royce luxury car. The host is talking about the paperwork and service records that came with it, and how much it’s cost to maintain over the years.
Service history is a paper trail of what work has been done on the car. It helps you see whether the car was maintained regularly and lets you estimate what it might cost to keep it going.
Miles tell you how much the car has been driven. Higher mileage usually means more wear, and it helps explain why maintenance costs might be higher or lower.
A pre-purchase inspection is when a mechanic checks a used car before you buy it. The goal is to find problems early so you’re not stuck paying to fix them right after you purchase.
The 1974 Rolls Corniche is a classic Rolls-Royce luxury car. People love it for its old-school style and comfort, but it can cost a lot to keep in good condition.
RR&B Garages is a specialist garage the host mentions using for a classic Rolls. Specialists are helpful because they’re more familiar with the common problems on older cars.
A “braking zone” is just the stretch of road where you start slowing down before a turn. Drivers use it as a timing cue so they brake at the right moment.
Term
T-junction
A “T-junction” is an intersection shaped like a T. The host is talking about what the car feels like when they’re braking and turning at that kind of intersection.
“Rear brakes” are the brakes on the back wheels. The host is pointing out that the back brakes are the part that usually costs the most to fix on these cars.
The “master cylinder” is the part that turns your foot pressure on the brake pedal into hydraulic pressure. That pressure is what actually makes the brakes work, and it can affect how the pedal feels.
Radiant heat is heat you feel from something hot without touching it—like warmth from the engine. It can make the car bay feel hotter during inspection.
The “ramp of truth” is a way of saying you learn the real condition of a car only when it’s lifted up so you can see the bottom. That’s where hidden rust or damage is easiest to spot.
Corrosion is rusting or metal breaking down over time. On older cars, it’s especially important to check the underside because problems there can be hard (and costly) to fix.
The rear valence is a body panel near the bottom of the back of the car. It’s the kind of area that can rust because it’s low to the ground and gets wet and dirty.
The handbrake cable is what connects the handbrake lever to the rear brakes. If it’s exposed or corroded, the handbrake can feel sticky or not work evenly.
Gaiters are protective covers that keep water and dirt away from parts like cables. If they split, the cable area can rust and start to wear out faster.
Shock absorber bushes are rubber mounts that help the shock absorber move smoothly. If they wear out, the suspension can feel looser and the ride/handling can get worse.
Subframes are strong metal frames that support parts like the suspension. If they rust badly, it can affect how the car handles and may require serious repair.
Height control is a system that keeps the car’s ride height consistent. On some cars it uses hydraulic parts, so the condition of the lines and components affects how well it works.
It’s a protective cover at the front of the engine that keeps the timing chain area sealed. If the seal/gasket fails, oil can leak out and make a mess near the front of the engine.
These are the top covers on the cylinder heads. They keep oil inside; if the gasket hardens or fails, oil leaks out and you’ll see it around the top of the engine.
Rubber gaskets are sealing parts used under engine covers to prevent oil leaks. In this context, the speaker says the car was fitted with newer-style rubber gaskets, which tend to seal better and resist the heat cycling that makes older gaskets fail.
Cork gaskets are older-style sealing material. Because the engine gets hot and cools down, cork can change shape and eventually stop sealing well, leading to oil leaks.
Your steering rack is the mechanism that turns the steering wheel into the movement that actually steers the wheels. If its seals leak, you can lose fluid and the steering can get worse over time.
Inside the steering rack there are seals that keep the steering fluid from leaking out. If that seal fails, you can lose fluid and the steering system can start to deteriorate.
Power steering fluid is the fluid that helps your car steer with less effort. If it leaks out, steering can get heavy and you may risk damaging the steering system.
Runout means the disc isn’t perfectly straight as it spins, and warps means the disc surface is distorted. Both can cause the brakes to feel shaky or uneven when you stop.
Calipers are the parts that squeeze the brake pads against the spinning brake disc to make the car slow down. If they’re “new,” it usually means someone has done brake work recently.
Anodized is a protective coating process that helps metal resist corrosion. If brake parts are anodized, it’s usually meant to keep them looking better and lasting longer.
Flexi hoses are the rubbery lines that carry brake fluid to the brakes. New hoses can mean the braking system has been serviced and is less likely to leak or feel “spongy.”
Brake pads are the replaceable parts that press against the brake disc to stop the car. “Good thickness” usually means they still have enough material left for normal braking.
Hydraulics means the car uses pressurized fluid to help run certain functions. If something in that system gets noisy or starts acting up, it can be a sign the pump or related parts may need attention.
A test drive is when you drive the car yourself to see how it feels and sounds. It helps you catch problems that might not be obvious just by looking at it.
The air con pump helps the air-conditioning system move refrigerant around so it can cool the cabin. If it’s noisy or not working well, it may need replacement.
LIVE
This is The Tire Kickers, classic car chat with Max and Matt.
Welcome to a special episode 57 of The Tire Kickers.
Breaking news, I've bought myself a new car.
So in this episode, I'll reveal it, drive it and Matt will laugh at it and try to break
it for fun.
The Tire Kickers podcast with Footman James.
However, I'm not going to tell you what it is just yet, although sat inside, the sound
of the ticking clock may give you a little clue.
So I'm going to drive it over to meet Matt and he can have first dibs at criticising
my new choice of classic car.
I'm keeping my eyes on the road.
Oh, hello.
Hold on a minute.
There is a classic car.
Oh, I'm going to eat my words.
This is The Tire Kickers podcast with Footman James.
So hello.
Matt here stood in a car park in a pub somewhere outside Evesham, waiting for Max.
Now, he's made a big deal about this.
I honestly haven't been told in the last two weeks what he's bought.
He said, I've bought a car.
I'm not telling you what it is.
I'm going to reveal it to you.
You'll have to wait and see.
I have no idea what he's bought.
However, which is Max, we're talking about here.
This isn't somebody who's an impulse purchaser.
He's taken two years to research Rolls Royces.
So I'm looking on the horizon.
I'm scanning the horizon now to see if there's anything that looks like the blue
Rolls Royce that I think is going to pull up in a minute.
Rolls Royce Cornish, I think.
1974 Rolls Royce Cornish.
It's the one he looked at.
And I think he's been negotiating on it.
But he's been really coy about it and he's not said anything.
So we're going to stand.
We're going to wait.
Nothing so far.
I'm keeping my eyes on the road.
Oh, hello.
Hold on a minute.
There is a classic car.
Oh, I'm going to eat my words.
It looks like a Porsche.
It looks like a little Porsche.
And it's an orange car.
It's just gone behind.
Oh, hold on a minute.
Now, behind the Porsche is a Blue Rolls Royce.
Yeah, there's an orange or red 911.
But behind that, I think there's an old man in a Panama hat driving a Blue Rolls
Royce. And I think it's the one I think it is.
Oh, yeah, there it is.
Blue Rolls Royce Cornish.
Yeah, I could see it coming in the car park.
He's so predictable.
Oh, it's a silver shadow.
It's not the one I thought.
OK, he's got to get around the building.
Let's pick this up when I can see him.
Right, I've got sight of him now.
It's coming in.
It looks like a silver shadow.
It's not the car I thought it was.
A dam.
Oh, there he is.
I can see him at the end of the car park.
He's already laughing.
What a surprise.
Sliding onto the gravel.
Arriving in style, obviously.
I can see him yapping already.
What is he going to be saying about my choice?
Right, mate?
Yeah, the wedding's not on today.
I know that's a wedding venue there, but...
Listen, there's not a hint of confetti in this car,
because I've been around it looking for it.
Well, I ordered an Uber, but I was hoping for a Prius.
This is very nice, but it's not what I expected.
Didn't you? What were you expecting?
I expected the Cornish, the 74 Cornish.
No, I couldn't buy that. The bloke wouldn't sell it to me.
Hang on, let me turn this off and I'll get out,
and you can have a proper look around.
OK, all right. This looks very nice.
Now, can I just say, first of all,
I have been setting this up by saying
that you're not very spontaneous.
So it had to be a car that you would have seen,
or you've spent two years researching.
Hang on, before you start nerding out,
let me explain to the listeners what it is.
It's a Rolls-Royce Silver Shad. It's a W-Edge.
It's light blue. That won't be the colour.
He'll nerd out in the colour in a minute.
Caribbean blue.
So after two years of going on and on about this,
reading every single book cover to cover, why this one?
Because it's a Shadow 2.
So this is one of the very, very last ones.
And the Shadow 2 was a slightly better car.
And actually, I like the look of the Shadow 2s,
because I think they're a slightly cleaner look.
There's a bit less kind of gubbins around it.
It's a much better drive.
It's got much better steering.
And I just think, you know,
there's not that many good Silver Shadows around.
So once you find a good one...
Well, you've looked at most of them.
I've seen pretty much all of them now.
I'd just like to say, any Rolls Royce dealers up and down the UK,
he has found one now, so you can answer the phone again.
Yeah, you could...
It's safe to come out.
You can sleep better at night.
But yeah, so basically, I saw this a couple of weeks ago.
It popped up on the dealers website,
and I was there within two days,
and then I just bought it on the spot,
because I've seen a few now.
Most of them were ropey.
I look round this.
I reckon it's a good one.
I don't know that yet, but...
Well, let's have a look.
Let's start moving across this gravel car park.
Oh, no. Looking at the back window.
No rust.
No rust in that point where they're kind of on the edge of the window,
the rubbers go,
and then that goes rusty on the kind of top of the wing.
That's okay.
Can you hear it knocking?
That's pretty solid.
Yeah, that's your bank balance gone.
So there's wheel arches, normally rust around the wheel arches.
Do you remember that one we saw about a year ago in London?
That was really rusty.
Yes, yeah, yeah.
So this hasn't got...
Well, I mean, it's probably had work on it.
It's definitely had some paint work on it,
but there's no rust that I can see.
Under the rear valance, there's no rust either.
Let's have a look, because you've done the dealer thing.
I've only shown me one side of a car so far.
Walking around, it looks really clean, doesn't it?
It looks...
Let's have a look around the other side.
So I'm down the near side now at the moment, looking at it.
Is it straight?
Let's have a look.
Do you know how body work looks really good?
Has it been restored?
I think it's been restored a few times, to be honest.
I've found a couple of receipts in the history,
because it's got history going back right to when it was delivered new in 1981.
So I've found a few receipts for a bit of work,
and you can see, if I show you on the inside of the door pillar,
on the passenger door,
you know, look at that, that's been filled.
It's got the smell.
I can smell the 70s, and there's a few weddings, actually.
Do you think this was a wedding card?
Do you think this one?
I've literally gone through it,
trying to find a hint of confetti or a hint of ribbon,
and I can't find a thing.
So I don't think it is.
The last owner's owned it for 20 years.
So I don't think it was a wedding card.
You know, there's always a risk it has been,
but it doesn't look like there's been an unhappy bride in the back.
It's got very, it's very clean inside.
It's cream leather, sort of piped leather inside,
a blue dashboard there on the front.
I mean, it's really, it does look clean.
Somebody's either spent a lot of time cleaning this,
or it's just been loved and looked after.
I mean, normally the seats go, don't they?
But they're just nicely worn in, aren't they?
I have got the details of how it came out of the factory,
and it is a Caribbean blue car with Liam and Terry.
Sorry, I've got to go in a minute.
Don't leave the microphone, I can talk.
Don't we know it?
Has it got your required two reams of paperwork?
It has.
I've got the service book to show you in the pub later.
And I've got all the receipts,
and I've put them into a spreadsheet.
But you have one word.
So you can go through that later with me.
When was it last serviced?
Last serviced two weeks ago.
Part of the deal was having it completely serviced.
It's freshly serviced.
I mean, there's a slight bit of judder on the brakes.
I think the discs might be a little bit warped.
And one of the windows is a bit sticky,
but I have found a way of basically getting it going
by pressing the electric window switch
and slamming the door at the same time.
It is a classic car, after all.
Let me sit inside.
Can you just a bit of practice for you here,
just to get used to what life's going to be like now?
Could you open the back door so I can get in, please, driver?
Could you just sit inside?
Thank you, thank you, sir.
All the seats look really good, actually.
Lambs will overrug, so are your feet clean?
Well, yeah.
I'll give them a wipe.
It's really, really nice.
This has been done, hasn't it?
I don't know whether it has to be honest,
because I think it all seems to be original.
I've not seen any signs of it being done.
I'm just hoping it's been kind of like quite well looked after,
but they're quite tough wearing interiors.
You remember through the keyhole with Lloyd Grossman,
it's like, who would live in a house like this?
I'm looking on the front seat as a Panama hat.
Who would drive a car like this?
I'll guess.
I've got to say, we've sat in a few,
and this is probably the nicest one I've seen.
You know, there's nothing that's catching my eye at all.
You know I'm a bit OCD about interiors.
And there's nothing, you know, the dash is clean,
all the seats are really nice and clean.
I mean, bear in mind, this is what? This is 1980?
This is made in 1980 and sold in 81s.
It's about 45 years old.
45 years old, yeah, it's really, really good.
Come on, sit in front.
Well, I will come in and sit.
Okay, I'm generally thinking I'm going to be in the back
in this, you know, day to day.
Let's have a look.
Let's see where the staff sit.
It's really nice, walnut dash.
I mean, the walnut looks really, really good.
There's no pitting or flaking.
There's a little tiny little bit,
tiny, tiny little bit.
I mean, that's being really pick, isn't it?
But most of it, I mean, normally it starts going, doesn't it?
And one last nice thing that I noticed you've done
in the back window.
Yes, there is, there's my very, very last sticker
of my dad's car dealership
supplied by John Flint with his number
more than 2991, which shows me how old it is
because it's a volgided number.
How cool. What would your dad have made of this?
He would have said I'm an idiot.
He'd have tried to flog it, wouldn't he?
Yeah, exactly. He would have said I'm an absolute idiot
and they cost a fortune
and all you, they drive like a camel
and all white you want one of those for.
But actually secretly, I think he would have quite liked it.
He never had any silver shadows as far as I can remember.
But I think he would have liked it.
Yeah, but they were quite expensive then
and they are quite expensive to maintain.
More on that later.
What a lovely thing though to have a bit of your dad driving around with you.
Yeah, exactly. I can just hear him moaning in the back of my head going
Oh, what do you want one of those two for?
Obviously ran in the family then.
Right, start it up then.
Let's go out for a little run.
You get in the passenger seat and see how we go.
OK, I'm buckled up
and I'm ready for speed.
Oh, you're in the wrong car for that, I'm afraid.
It is very slow. I have noticed that.
It's seriously slow.
Already I've had two people beat me on roundabouts.
It can be very slow.
This is a setting off.
Nice little burble to it.
Nice little V8 burble.
It's very smooth.
I mean, the steering is fingertip light.
The steering doesn't bounce around
and then it just takes the bump so softly.
It really does smooth out these roads.
You don't really feel anything from these potholes.
But then you do notice you're going
10 miles an hour slower than everybody else.
Is it really that slow?
Yes.
It's off the line because it's a heavy car
and it's got a big V8 with a
three-speed auto so it is a slow car.
So we're coming into a de-restricted now.
Floor it.
All kicked down.
It's got kicked down 50,
60.
It's not bad.
But it didn't really feel like
it's kind of comfort.
It is an experience.
When I drove that one last year,
when you drive it,
you could be doing 50 in a modern car
and feel nothing.
Whereas you do feel like you're
sat in a big comfy armchair here
essentially and you are sort of
floating up and down on the road.
It does feel like you're, I don't know,
it's not like driving a normal car, is it?
The closest thing to driving this car
is a Citroen DS
because you've obviously got the suspension
and the powered brakes steering.
It does feel like a Citroen DS.
It does wander slightly.
It kind of follows the cambers on the road
which is quite unusual. I thought it was pulling to the left
but then I went on another road and it was pulling to the right.
So it's not pulling, it's just
following the camber of the roads because
it's kind of strange but it's got super light steering.
This is all just fingertip touch
you can carry along like this.
You can swap drivers, shall we?
Yeah, you can spin it around.
I don't want to be reversing to the road.
It's got a very good turning circle.
It's got kind of London taxi turns.
Yeah, I suppose that, I mean that was part of the brief, wasn't it?
I suppose that you need to turn it around, you know,
in the city.
Right, I'll just park it here.
I'll leave it ticking over. I'll put it in part
and then we can swap over.
Right, so I've taken over control of the microphone.
Matt is about to take over control
of the Rolls Royce.
Does the seat go back?
It does a bit, yeah.
Look, this is one of these controllers here, if I do it.
There we are.
Well, thank God that works.
Probably about 50 quid each, that switch, wouldn't it?
Oh, and the rest.
There we go, a bit of confidence.
Right, doors slammed.
It is impossibly hot in here.
I'll get the air con going in a minute.
But I won't get it going just yet for a reason, which you'll find out.
I'll put the window down.
That's the central locking.
Where's the window then?
It's one of those switches down that closest switch.
There we go, there we go.
Do you want a bit of window as well?
Careful with my window, because sometimes it doesn't go up.
So, handbrake is where?
I haven't bothered.
Put on the brake.
Into drive.
In an automatic, in my stag, I put it in drive
and the bonnet just goes up and down.
It did a ripple like a boat on the river, didn't it?
It went up and down a couple of times.
So pulling out here.
Oh, it's got a lovely V8 feel to it.
It's got a bit of a burble in there, isn't it?
Yeah, it has got a bit of a burble.
We can hear it with the window open.
I'll put it back onto this main road here.
Here we go.
Whoa, it does...
It is like driving a wardrobe, isn't it?
Just wallowing it, doesn't it?
It's lovely though, really.
It sits on the road nicely, doesn't it?
As you say, there's no...
I'm not getting any sort of tracking problems, really.
I'll take my hands off the wheel.
Put them back, put them back.
Oh, OK.
It sits 40, I might be doing 50, is that right?
The speed cameras.
Do you want a picture of it?
So there's a little bit of a de-restricted sign
coming up now, so you can think about
having a squirt.
Although I've got a van in front of me.
But as you say, you don't feel like
you want to floor it, do you?
I've got my thumbs on the steering wheel now, like you say.
It's amazing what a car does.
You know, you get the measure of a car, don't you?
Fairly quickly.
You're either going to feel relaxed.
I remember when I drove your Merc,
I had my arm on the window, do you remember?
I'm looking down this light blue bonnet
and just seeing the silver lady in the front.
What a fantastic sight that is.
You've got the wing on one side,
you've got the silver lady,
and then you've got the far wing,
which seems quite a way away.
What a beautiful sight.
It is like a boat.
But you can kind of get the feeling, isn't it,
that actually the car is telling you how to drive
because you can't rush it.
Let's drop the gear and disappear in this.
I mean, it doesn't want to.
I mean, I've just done kickdown in it,
and it doesn't really, it picks up.
I've got white van behind me.
Tough.
But what I've noticed in, I mean,
you've just jumped in this.
You've driven one before, I know, but that was about a year and a half ago.
But it is a super easy car to drive, isn't it?
It's known that it is a slow,
it's a slow, old car.
It's a wallowy car, so you don't want to be throwing it
into corners. You need to be anticipating
it a little bit more, don't you?
And then you need to not
expect it to stop on a...
Checking over my shoulder there as we come
round the roundabout. You need to
not expect it to stop on a dime, you know.
It is a lot of metal and a lot of weight.
So you are conscious of that.
But it is a really beautiful drive.
I mean, I'd love to do a long trip in it
if you're paying for the fuel.
But no, we should do. We could do a
lovely little long trip and it would be fantastic.
What a fab car. I'm really
pleased for you. Oh, great. Thank you very much.
I'm just going to turn the air con down a bit because it's quite noisy.
There we are. Put it down on low. Thank you very much.
Yeah, I'm really pleased with that. I've kind of
fallen in love with it quite quickly
because I parked it outside my house.
From my kitchen window, you can see
where it's parked. And so I've just been
staring at it while making a cup of tea
and staring at it while making breakfast.
And you really do get to appreciate the lines
because it's quite a pretty car, I think,
Silver Shadows. They're quite big.
But the lines and the curves, particularly
when you look at the doors and the wheel arches,
it's a very cohesive design.
We're staying overnight in this pub
tonight and I've got the room
that overlooks the car park and you haven't.
Do you want a swap? Are you going to be
chilled about it or are you going to be checking on it overnight?
No, I'm sleeping in the car.
Oh, here he is. He's bought a drink.
Congratulations. Well done.
Wonders will never cease.
Look at that Halley's Comet. You'll only see it once
in your lifetime. So we're sitting in a beer garden
and I thought it would be quite interesting for you
to go through the service history.
In my new detail, by the way. I don't know.
I've not had a sip of my beer yet. I've still got time to escape.
Drive and drive away.
You've had too many to drive now, so you're stuck here for the night.
So, here's a spreadsheet, Matt,
of the service history. I'm just going to talk
about this for a minute. Here is the
all the service books in a lovely
leather-bound case.
So you can have a quick flick through those.
Yeah, it's a lovely old vinyl.
It's not leather.
It's vinyl. Don't ruin the illusion.
But it's got Rolls-Royce warranted. This I'm interested.
I'm not really that interested in your spreadsheet,
I'll be honest with you. Too late.
But it's typed out. It's got a card inside
with the Vinon and stuff.
And it's obviously been put through a typewriter
and typed out.
And you can tell it's 80s, actually, because it's that
electric typewriter kind of look, but it's so period.
And then it's obviously got a nice...
Oh, the old Rolls-Royce books and stuff.
Information for a customer taking delivery
of a new Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow 2
or Bentley T2 Motor Car.
So yeah, some nerd would have read...
Oh, you will read these, actually.
You read them for a second, because I've been doing some number crunching.
Because I've had quite a few receipts with the car
with the service history, which is going back to...
The receipts were going back to
1999, I think.
So I've done some number crunching for you,
which you'll be fascinated in.
So since 1999,
27 years ago,
the car has cost
£19,614 in servicing.
Well, that's not...
That's not bad, is it? For a car that size?
I don't think that's bad. That's about
£726 per annum.
God, there's nothing.
But there's a buck. Oh, there's a buck, is it?
That's over 8,377 miles
in 27 years.
Well, yeah, as long as it's...
But as long as it's been kept moving,
has it been laid up for any point then?
You'll know this, because you'll have
Carol Valdum and all the numbers,
won't you, basically,
to spot the gaps.
Congratulations. Yes, I have.
So actually, the service costs over
27 years of nearly £20,000
aren't a lot. But then when you divide that
by 8,377 miles,
that means the service costs are
£2.34 a mile.
Will there be a quiz on this?
Because you are starting to lose me,
I'm starting to glaze over a little bit. Can you cut to the chase?
So if I insured that for 3,000 miles a year,
at £2.34 a mile,
the rather shocking thing is
that would cost me £7,000
a year to service. If you buy a car like this,
you're not in any classic car,
you shouldn't be doing numbers like this. Too late.
But it's not the way to look at it,
is it? By the best car you can find,
and then hopefully,
you cross your fingers and hope and pray
that you're not going to be into big bills.
And so with my stag,
I've bought the best one I can find, I think,
and so far it's only cost me
£600 of servicing, and that's it.
You should go into this looking optimistic.
In the next 12 months, you should be
not looking at the past, you should be looking at now
onto the future. So hopefully, if you service it
and look after it, you're not going to have any big bills.
It looks like it's roughly been serviced
every 3,000 miles and probably once a year.
He's got this spreadsheet out.
I'll describe it to you.
He's printed it out and everything.
If you've spent hours on this, haven't you?
Have you done this from scratch?
Yeah, this is me, yeah. You've done this whole spreadsheet
from scratch.
It goes onto two pages.
Oh, look at your little face
when you were doing that.
Oh, look, it's a B service, it's a C service.
Oh, no, I've changed that because it's not a C service.
I've got the date wrong.
It's got all the dates down one side,
and then the job description, invoice number, cost, mileage,
notes.
It's a bit rain man, I've got to say.
This is what I love about cars.
I think when they've got a history like this,
because this goes back to the 5th of February,
1981, when it was delivered to the new owner
by Lexmead Maidenhead.
And that, for me, is really exciting,
because I can trace the car right back to day one.
Anyway, you're listening to tyre kickers.
I hope you're still with us.
Unlikely.
I'm still looking at the book. The spreadsheet's lovely, Max.
Well done.
I've got one more thing I need you to do
because you're good at maths.
Have you got your phone on you with a calculator?
So, basically, I need to work out the mileage,
the MPG.
OK.
Do you really want to do this?
Yes, I do. When I bought it,
I filled up right to the brim.
OK.
And then I've done 150 miles since then.
41.45 litres is 9.12 gallons.
Right.
So I have done 150 miles using 9.12 gallons.
What is my MPG?
OK. 9.1, sorry, 9.1...
150 miles.
150, divided by...
9.12 gallons.
16.4 to the gallon.
Oh, that's not bad, actually.
That's slightly better than I thought.
I was expecting about 12.
No, it's all right. It's not too shabby.
I mean, my stack probably does about 18.
It's an economy car.
I won't get that far.
But you won't need to put your prices up for the weddings.
I think what you're charging is probably fair.
All the problems.
It's problem season. You're going to be busy.
So, continuing in that vein,
Matt took the Michael pretty much all night.
But he did like the car and we are planning
some road trips in it soon.
Right. I'm at home now in the garden
looking at the silver shadow parked
in front of me.
And I want to admit something.
I have been having some sleepless nights
since I bought it.
Shadows are complicated and expensive.
It looks OK to my eye,
but have I bought a decent one
or a duffer?
Now, the fact I didn't get it inspected
before I bought it
has been nagging away at me.
So, I did a bit of a duff thing.
I got it inspected after I bought it.
Now, when I was looking at that
1974 Rolls Corniche a few episodes ago,
I used Oscar Pinder
from specialists RR&B
Garages.
So, I took the shadow up to his garage in Bromsgrove
in the middle of this week's heat wave
and got him to have a look.
We started with a test drive.
Right. It's a bit of open road.
Just turning right on the junction.
The road is opening up nicely in front of us.
So, I'll just try the brakes up here
in a moment.
You know, pushing along now.
55 mile an hour on a national road.
You know, it just sits comfortably.
You know, for a classic car,
it's not darting all over the place.
It's just quite...
It's just a lovely place to be.
It just glides along over the bumps
as it should do.
There's nothing at these higher speeds.
There's not any
wheel vibrations or any driveline vibrations.
It's all just kind of
floating along as it should do.
We'll get round this corner
and I'll stamp on the brakes.
Alright, here we go.
It's my braking zone coming up.
Just get over the brow of the hill.
Here we go.
Yeah, that's quite a...
That's quite a vibration.
It feels more from the back than the front
to me.
I'll just try it again going into this T-junction.
Yeah, there's quite a...
quite a rumble there.
Which again, as you say, if it's been standing
for a while, that's quite standard
that they tend to walk the padstick
to them and create those issues.
So on the Shadow 2,
because I know the rear brakes on the Shadow 1
are the expensive bit, is it the same on the
later Shadow 2s?
Yeah, they're
a little bit less difficult
as the Shadow 1s
have a standard master cylinder
as a normal cardboard
to get the feel on the brake pedal
and so it makes them a bit more complicated.
These are a bit simpler, but
to be honest, it's kind of 6 and 2 thirds.
These are more complicated in other areas
and it kind of balances it out.
Damn, the forums were telling me that
Shadow 2 brakes were easier, but now
maybe they're not so.
There's more pipes on a Shadow 1
to take off, so there is in theory
more things to Caesar.
In reality, it's kind of neither here nor there.
So
test drive complete, we're just coming back
into your garage. Just what are your initial
thoughts?
I really like the car, it's one of those
I get in and out of a lot of Shadows
throughout the week and the months.
And as I say, the amount of them that I get
in and right off
before I've even driven them is incredible.
This car
I'd say as it sits and drives at the
minute, it's a good 7 out of 10
which, you know, if you think
10 being a freshly restored one
it's not bad going for
what we say, 93,000 miles.
I'm very impressed
with it. Pop the bonnet up
and do all the inside and the engine
bay things and then we'll go outside
into the furnace on the outside ramp.
Right, bonnet up, let's have a look at the angry
hot thing on an angry hot day.
Yes, it was hot enough
in here without the radiant heat
of the engine. Again, it's
for 90,000 miles, it's what I'd expect
looking at that. That is the old
Delco Rimi air compressor
so no wonder that's noisy.
So under the bonnet, first of all
the bonnet light's not working
and the pads are all
in good order, so normally
you can tell the condition of a shadow
by how the boot looks
and how the underside of the bonnet looks
and if all the padding's worn
and in the boot, if it's all crusty
you can tend to know that's where they've been let go.
Right, boot open.
What are you looking for here?
So the first thing is all the underlay
so that's the original underlay, it's not been messed with
if we just pull these flaps open
like so
so as you can see
you can still see Caribbean blue there
but it's all in good order, I'd say
it's had some pipes remade
but yeah, it's all very
tidy back here.
Is it time now for the ramp, the ramp of truth
because looking underneath the Rolls Royce
is where you get a real sense of what it's like.
It's got to be done.
Right, let's get under the shade of a Rolls Royce.
Normally I'll start by looking at
corrosion, obviously these cars have quite
sharp edges along the bottom
they're all at a right angle that catches
all the debris as you drive
and hence, you know, rots away
but this is all
nice and tidy along the rear valence
section going up to the back
of the wheel arches.
Handbrake cable
I mean these are only small things
the handbrake cable kind of gaiters split
shock absorber bushes
are starting to perish, they've got a bit of rusty stains
around them. There's no rot
anywhere, it's just surface
corrosion, obviously the subframes on these
are so heavy duty
it's not like an old
Escora Fiesta that rots away
they corrode, they don't rot
Rolls Royce, it's strange.
Again, all your pipes, you've got all this
rat's nest of hydraulic pipes
for all the height control
for the back end and
they look original
to me, which isn't a bad thing
they're not corroded, they've obviously been protected.
So right up the front now
right virtually underneath the grill
yeah, so the
first thing I look for these, I mean these like to
leak oil, at the very front you've got
the front of engine, so
that's the like timing chain
cover, so they like to leak which
I mean on this car I'll just pop this side
and have a look up here, that side's
dry and this side's dry
and then looking
from higher up down the sides of the V
of this V8
it's all
dry up
till the telltale holes
which tells me that the rocker covers aren't
leaking, which I had a look under
the bonnet, it's been put on with
the new style rubber
gaskets rather than the cork gaskets
so they, you put those on and they don't leak
whereas the cork ones
the cork expands and contracts and they start leaking
so that's all pretty good
it's had a new starter motor on it
at some point, the next favourite one
is the steering rack, you can see some oil
around here, so
the oil, the internal seal leaks
fills up these gaiters
so what I do is I grab it and jiggle it
and if you can hear water inside or oil
it means the internal seals are gone
and the rack needs to be overhauled
so, let's give it a go
I can hear water
where's that side
so that's the left hand side
gaiter on the steering rack
so the internal seal has gone
which means it will be alright
for now but eventually it will leak all the fluid
into there
and then you'll have no power steering fluid
they don't normally tend to go bang
but it's just the more you drive it
they then start doing that
and can you see the state of the discs from here
or you can only see on the inside
I can only see on the inside
the discs have got one hell of a lip on them
obviously I can't tell
for run out and warps
without taking the wheels off
it's got recently new calipers
all round by the looks of it
they're all anodized
modern and new
flexi hoses
so it's obviously had a certain amount
of hydraulic work done before
but not the disc changed
so the pads have
the pads have got good thickness on them
but the discs are
massively lipped
and internally corroded
you see inside there the corrosion in the gaps
yes, so
and then out of principle obviously
when you change your disc
you might as well change your pads whilst you're in there
so I'd say you definitely want this some pads
but the fact that we're talking about
hydraulics on a shadow and that's pretty much it
I'm very pleasantly
surprised with this car
so Oscar we've done the test drive
you've had a look around it, you've had it up on a ramp
what is your Jerry Springer final thought
I mean you've been up and down the country
looking at these shadows
I think you've done very well with this car
it needs some turning around
but they all do
there's a couple of nice fully restored ones
on the market for
50, 60 odd thousand
and you'd still be spending money on it
but the main part, the interior is immaculate
and the bodywork is pretty good
so I think
for the minimal bits of mechanical that need doing
I'd say it's definitely a keeper
so pads and discs, yeah fair enough it's a big heavy car
strip the steering rack
bit of a surprise, possibly a new air con pump
well it was a bit noisy on the test drive
plus lots of things like sticky passenger windows
and the bonnet light to fix
well they're just gremlins
all in all not bad
for a complicated 45 year old car
now that has made me feel
much much better
by the way pictures of the car are up on our
social media
here's how to get to it
you can find us at the tyre kickers UK on instagram
and the tyre kickers on facebook
so that's it for this special episode
of the tyre kickers
I hope you've enjoyed learning a bit more about my
roles and apologies
if you've been on my two year journey
to buy a shadow
back to normal next week
including to DRL
or not to DRL
and who's died
in their classic cars
you've been listening to the tyre kickers with Footman James
we share your passion
see you next time, goodbye
you
About this episode
Max kicks things off with “Breaking news, I've bought myself a new car.” Matt waits outside a pub near Evesham as the hosts spot arrivals—first an orange Porsche, then “Now, behind the Porsche is a Blue Rolls Royce.” The reveal turns into a deep inspection and drive: rust checks, service history spreadsheets, and talk of Shadow 2 improvements, brake wear, and steering/air-con quirks. The episode closes with a keeper verdict and a tease about what’s next in the “two year journey to buy a shadow.”
Max has bought a new classic car but hasn't told Matt what it is, so they're meeting in a beer garden so Max can do the Big Reveal. Will it be the car Max has talked about for the past two years? Matt thinks he knows the answer, so join them as they reveal all, test drive, argue over a beer and discuss servicing spreadsheets. Then Max does what you should never, ever do with a new purchase....let a specialist have a good look round. Enjoy the bonus episode!
