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Sir Michael Caine's first Rolls Royce sells at Duxford for £120K

H&H Classics Michael Caine and his Rolls RoyceH&H Classics
Sir Michael pictured with his first car, a 1968 Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe - with chauffeur

A Rolls Royce bought as a first car by Italian Job actor Sir Michael Caine, with its doors still intact, has sold at auction for £120,000.

Sir Michael paid £10,511 for the two-door 1968 Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe on the year of its release - just as he was becoming a household name.

The hand-crafted car was one of only 506 of its type ever made and was extensively restored before its sale.

It was bought by a telephone bidder at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

In provenance provided with the sale, the car was built by Rolls Royce's in-house coachbuilders, Mulliner Park Ward, in 1967.

Its original price tag would be £147,709 in today's money.

H&H Classics 1968 Rolls Royce Silver ShadowH&H Classics
The 1968 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow was the first car owned by actor Sir Michael Caine

It was described as "trimmed with a superlative mix of sumptuous leather hides, rich wood veneers and deep lambswool carpets" and was deemed "every bit as luxurious as it was expensive".

At the time, the 35-year-old Sir Michael described himself as "the original bourgeois nightmare - a Cockney with intelligence and a million dollars", after his earning potential began to grow in the late 1960s.

H&H Classics original warranty on Rolls Royce carH&H Classics
The original warranty outlining the delivery and address details of Sir Michael in 1968

The actor allegedly wandered into the Jack Barclay showroom on Berkeley Square in London with a handwritten shopping list which read: "Milk, bread, newspaper, cigarettes, Rolls Royce", but was turned away because of his unkempt appearance.

He then bought the Silver Shadow at another Rolls Royce dealership, H A Fox in Mayfair, and hired a chauffeur to drive him past the original showroom to show off, the auctioneer said.

H&H Classics Sir Michael Caine's first carH&H Classics
The Rolls Royce was extensively restored ahead of the auction on Wednesday

The car was among 121 classic, collector and performance cars to go under the hammer in Cambridgeshire on Wednesday.

It underwent extensive restoration before its sale, including a complete refinishing in its original black colour.

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

Damian Jones, senior motorcar specialist at auctioneer H&H Classics, 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.

"Personifying cool, Caine and the Silver Shadow remain instantly recognisable and widely admired, so to combine both of these in one fantastic motor car is incredibly rare indeed."

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