Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Michelotti

The 1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow chassis SRX6295 carries a unique body constructed by Carrozzeria Michelotti for Pierre Scapula, a French collector known for his interests in antique jewelry, historic furnishings and interior restoration projects. Scapula, who lived between France, the United States, and Switzerland, provided the initial stylistic sketches. Giovanni Michelotti translated these drawings into a complete coachwork design executed on the standard Silver Shadow structure. Consistent with Scapula’s directives, Michelotti omitted his customary exterior emblems. This decision reflects the bespoke nature of the commission and the precedence given to the client’s aesthetic requirements. Unlike traditional coachbuilding on separate frames, adapting a one-off body to the Silver Shadow’s monocoque construction demanded redesign of most outer panels while retaining the mechanical base supplied by Crewe. The Michelotti bodywork introduces substantial changes to the saloon’s proportions. The modified greenhouse, re-drawn door geometry, and revised rear treatment align with Italian custom-body practice of the late 1960s. Surface development and detailing follow the methods of Turin coachbuilders rather than those of Rolls-Royce production bodies. Mechanical specification remains that of the period Silver Shadow: a 6.23-litre V8 engine, GM-licensed automatic transmission, and the high-pressure hydraulic system used for suspension height control and braking. Contemporary documentation and surviving invoices from the 1990s–2000s confirm its status as a single example, with no evidence of additional Michelotti bodies on the Silver Shadow platform. The car was stored for an extended period and requires recommissioning, including attention to the braking system, engine start-up procedures, hydraulic circuits, and exterior corrosion treatment. Its recorded history places it within the small group of late bespoke European coachbuilt Rolls-Royces produced after the decline of custom coachwork in the 1960s.