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You too can look like royalty, with Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow set to cross the auction block this weekend.
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A 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow formerly owned by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is bound for auction in London, UK on November 5, with proceeds from the sale set to benefit charity.
Offered by auction house RM Sotheby’s, this Silver Shadow will be sold without reserve, with all funds to be donated to Superhumans Centre, a charity established to provide aid in Ukraine.
While Freddie Mercury isn’t known for being a raving petrolhead – it’s understood the star never held a driver’s licence – he did own this Rolls-Royce for more than a decade, which was used to chauffeur him.
Still wearing its factory-correct colour combination of Silver Chalice paintwork over grey leather upholstery, this car was specified new with woodgrain trim inserts and chrome accents.
It didn’t enter Mercury’s radar until 1979 (five years after it was delivered new), but the famed musician held the car until his death in 1991. The vehicle was purchased through Mercury’s recording company Goose Productions and it reportedly ferried him between recording studio sessions through Queen’s heyday of the 1980s.
The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is significant for its unibody construction, which brought improvements in comfort and space compared to its body-on-frame predecessor. It also licensed Citroen’s proprietary hydropneumatic suspension technology which afforded a stately level of ride comfort.
Power is supplied by the Rolls-Royce (and Bentley) naturally-aspirated 6.75-litre V8 engine which sends 141kW (189 horsepower) to the rear wheels.
Accompanying the car is documentation featuring Mercury’s name on service receipts, as well as his former partner’s name, Mary Austin. There’s also paperwork from Jim Beach, long-time Queen band manager, stating the car was passed to Mercury’s sister Kashmira Cooke following his death.
The current owner purchased the vehicle in 2013. According to the listing the car has sat in storage for some time, and would benefit from a mechanical inspection prior to purchase.
However, that sounds like a small price to pay in order to acquire this legendary piece of rock-and-roll history – especially if it benefits charity.
As part of the Drive content team, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.
He understands that every car buyer is unique and has varying requirements when it comes to buying a new car, but equally, there’s also a loyal subset of Drive audience that loves entertaining enthusiast content.
Tom holds a deep respect for all things automotive no matter the model, priding himself on noticing the subtle things that make each car tick. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t learn something new in an everchanging industry, which is then imparted to the Drive reader base.
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