Many cars can make you go bankrupt quickly, usually from the blue-blooded or the luxury segments. Case in point, if money is the least of your concerns, we have come across a classic Rolls-Royce that’s worthy of your attention, as it looks great and does not seem to have any issues.
Truth be told, this is not the first time we have dedicated an entire story to this particular 1981 Rolls-Royce Corniche. We first saw it a couple of months ago, which is when it first hit the second-hand market for cool rides. However, no one gave a flying hoot, forcing the vendor to slash the asking price. Thus, it's not more affordable.
But more on that in a moment, as we have to remind you a bit about this classic luxury open-top grand tourer, starting with the mileage. The odometer still reads 7,944 miles or 12,785 km. It's probably been obsessively maintained over the years, as the seller does not say anything about a full restoration process. Either way, it looks great all over.
That includes the Willow Gold and Walnut bi-tone paint finish, the classic disc wheels, and the beige leather interior that's sprinkled with black piping and lots of wood veneer. Heck, even the folding rag top looks great, and so does the underbody. In fact, this latter part makes us believe it's been fully restored rather than properly maintained.
Photo: Garage Kept Motors
Are you curious about the motor? It is the iconic 6.75-liter V12. The engine used to produce a little over 200 horses back in the '80s, which is when this Rolls-Royce Corniche rolled off the line. It was a decent amount of power back then, but you won't be exactly thrashing the car at your local racetrack, as it is a big boy that weighs over 4,800 pounds or around 2.2 tons. A three-speed automatic transmission delivers the power to the wheels.
The ad reveals that the classic open-top GT is a Florida car with plenty of early documentation and recent maintenance history. So, how much would you have to cough out to spend your weekends in it? The latest asking price is $69,900, and it is $5,000 cheaper than before. This is hardly a significant discount, but depending on your negotiation skills, you might be able to drop it even more if you really fancy this model.
Alternatively, you could search the used car market for a different Rolls-Royce Corniche. Depending on their overall condition, mileage, and other factors, you could land one for approximately $50,000. However, you could also spend well over a hundred grand for it. The latter part makes this copy look like a luxury bargain. But would you ever buy a classic luxury car if you had that kind of money?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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