Rolls-Royce, 1971, Corniche

Rolls-Royce “Corniche”, Mulliner, Park Ward, 1971

The open version of the Silver Shadow, the first Rolls Royce body chassis with brake disks, was presented in September 1967, but it was only at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show that is was re-named Corniche, thus becoming a model in its own right.

The Corniche, the name of the panoramic road in France that runs along the Côte d'Azur, was aimed at an exclusive and demanding public, who were willing to forego a little comfort (the noisiest soft-top vehicle) in favour of a sporting touch.

The car in the Museo, one of the first produced with the Corniche name, has a particular story since Universal Studios in Hollywood gave it to the actor Dean Martin (whose real name was Dino Paul Crocetti, born in Ohio of Italian origin), as the plate inside the driver and passenger compartment shows.