Sir Michael Caine’s first car – a Rolls Royce – sells for £120k at auction

Sir Michael Caine’s first car – classic Rolls Royce – was sold for £120,000 at an auction in Cambridgeshire this week.

The English actor purchased his timeless vehicle for £10,511 in 1968 when it was released. Caine’s rise to stardom grew rapidly during the late 1960s, and he wanted a car that made a statement. There were only 506 models made for this particular vehicle.

The lucky winner of the car was a telephone bidder at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

Guided at £100,000-£150,000 (wide, I know, but can you value celebrity?) is the 1968 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Two-Door Drophead Coupe that was supplied new to Sir Michael Caine CBE

Is there a celebrity whose car you’d rather own?

Sold for £120,000 plus commission! pic.twitter.com/gGypFuJSRd

— LUDEN Automotive (@LUDENClassics) March 15, 2023

The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Dropped coupe was Sir Michael Caine’s first owned car. Caine referred to himself as the “original bourgeois nightmare – a Cockney with intelligence and a million dollars,” which suits the type of vehicle he purchased.

It was described as a luxurious car, “trimmed with a superlative mix of sumptuous leather hides, rich wood veneers, and deep lambswool carpet”, and was known to be “expensive.”

According to the BBC, the actor walked into the Jack Barclay showroom in London with a list of things to buy: “Milk, bread, newspaper, cigarettes, Rolls Royce,” but was shot down because of his untidy appearance.

Caine eventually purchased the car at another dealership later on.

Sir Michael sold the vehicle two years later to a nightclub owner Jack Leach, who owned the car for 43 years until his death in 2013.

The classic car went under extensive restoration before being sold, in addition to repainting it in its original black colour.

Senior motor car specialist at H&H Classics Damian Jones said: “Sir Michael Caine is a true British icon, so it’s a pleasure to be able to offer his very first car for sale, which in itself is another great British classic.”

In other news, Sir Michael Caine responded to claims that the 1964 film Zulu is piece of culture that “incites the far-right”. “That is the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard,” he replied.

This week also saw the screen icon celebrate his 90th birthday. In attendance was Loose Women star Denise Welch, who revealed a “dirty joke” she told “crack up” Tom Cruise and Caine.

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