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“If you’re going to steal, you rob a bank not a grocery store, so I’d rather go after a Rolls…”
That was General Motors’ design chief Bill Mitchell talking to Autocar back in December 1975.
Blatant and provocative those words might have been, but they were also a statement of intent.
For years Cadillac, GM’s halo brand, had looked like the definition of excess to European eyes, as Mitchell conceded: “We’ve overdone things – lots of sheet metal, thick doors, overhangs. [But] we’re doing a better job now.”
And if the new Seville was anything to go by, he was.
What’s more, this pretender to the ‘world’s best car’ throne was coming to Britain. The audacity!
You could almost hear the bone china being dropped in Crewe’s boardroom when Rolls-Royce’s management received the memo.
There clearly was a whiff of Roller in the way the Seville looked, too.
It aped the new Silver Shadow II’s key dimensions, being just half an inch shorter, at 203.9in, and less than half an inch wider, at 71.8in.
More than that, its restrained and elegant lines, combined with a modest 5.7-litre small-block V8, made it, so Cadillac believed, a proper challenger for Rolls-Royce’s freshly revised Shadow.
The Seville was no ‘grey’ import, either.
Lendrum & Hartman of Hammersmith, west London, was given a quota of 150 Sevilles by GM in 1977 to satisfy British demand.
L&H took 60 hours to prepare each car for buyers in the UK, including a conversion to right-hand drive.
That brought the total cost of each fully loaded Seville to £14,888, and L&H would guarantee delivery within three months.
In other words, £10,000 less than the Shadow II, and with 15 months less wait for your new car.
But plenty of traditional Rolls-Royce buyers would have dismissed any brand associated with the Elvis jumpsuit years.
The John Blatchley-designed Silver Shadow had been launched in 1965 and was the epitome of bespoke quality and old money.
Tall and imperious, it had a degree of personalisation that Cadillac – producing 40,000 Sevilles annually – could never muster.
So when the Shadow II was introduced in late 1976, Rolls-Royce wisely resisted changing its formula too much, focusing more on drivability.
Its venerable, all-aluminium pushrod L410 V8’s capacity was unchanged at 6750cc, and still mated to a three-speed GM Turbo Hydramatic gearbox.
Contemporary road tests estimated power to be around the 230bhp mark and torque at 300lb ft (Rolls-Royce remained coy about both figures, merely declaring them ‘adequate’), enhanced by freer-flowing dual exhausts and changes to make its two large SU carburettors slightly more emissions-friendly.
Dynamically, a Burman rack replaced the previous worm-and-roller steering, making a palpable difference to handling overall, in line with modifications to the front suspension.
Other than that, the ingredients were as before: a unitary body with front and rear subframes, suspended by lower wishbones and upper stabiliser levers at the front, and independently at the rear via trailing arms, coil springs and a self-levelling system.
Nothing so sophisticated for the Cadillac, though, which was (whisper it) based on the Chevrolet Caprice’s platform, but with extra strengthening and welding throughout its unitary structure to aid stiffness.
This being ’70s Americana, a live rear axle was par for the course and, like the Rolls, it had a self-levelling feature to control the worst excesses of its leaf-sprung rear set-up.
Mechanically, the Seville’s engine was, like the Shadow’s, a pushrod V8 designed in the ’50s, but with a more compact 5735cc capacity.
However, despite being equipped with Bendix fuel injection and electronic ignition, the Caddy’s V8 had been stifled by America’s ever-tightening emissions regulations – which is why, despite its relatively large displacement, it produced a rather lame 180bhp at 4400rpm but a more promising 275lb ft at 2000rpm.
However, in 1977, ‘best car in the world’ candidates still had to drive with panache and cosset their occupants with not just Wilton rugs and soft leather trim, but also effortless performance and a sumptuous ride.
Which is why, joining us outside Beaulieu’s Palace House, we have an additional outlier: the Jaguar XJ12.
Like the Royce, the XJ was a product of the ’60s, launched in Series 1 guise in 1968.
The S2 on these pages was available between 1973 and 1979, and mainly supplied in long-wheelbase form, as here.
The secret to the XJ’s dynamic flair was its clever use of rubber-mounted separate subframes, which at the rear carried lower wishbones, with the driveshafts acting as upper links.
This was complemented by twin coils and dampers, plus inboard rear brakes to reduce unsprung weight.
It takes a while to get your head around the fact that, despite having the smallest engine capacity (5344cc), the Jaguar has four more cylinders than the Seville and Shadow.
The Walter Hassan/Harry Mundy-developed unit, with its aluminium block and single-overhead-cam heads, entered the XJ range in 1972.
Its insatiable thirst was curbed in 1975 by swapping four carburettors for the Lucas take on Bosch’s D-Jetronic fuel injection, as fitted to our test car.
In this form, it produced 285bhp at 5750rpm and 294lb ft of torque at 3500rpm.
Like the Rolls and Caddy, the XJ transmitted power to its rear axle through the same GM-sourced gearbox.
Would typical buyers have obsessed over these chassis and engine specifications back in the day? Maybe not, but each car’s road presence and cabin ambience would have doubtless factored heavily in any purchase consideration.
And it’s here, as you approach Stephen Bridges’ immaculate Willow Gold 1977 Shadow II, that you wonder if this is a slam-dunk victory before you’ve even turned the ignition key.
However we arrange the cars for photography, the Rolls dominates, being a clear 5in taller than the Caddy and 6in higher than the Jag at nearly 5ft from ground level.
Its Pantheon grille, topped by a (non-standard) gold Spirit of Ecstasy is so entwined with our preconceptions of luxury and wealth that it’s difficult to be dispassionate.
Bridges’ car’s first Jersey-based owner appears to have ticked but one option box, which deleted standard leather in favour of Tan Parkertex Savoy Velvet trim.
With just 29,000 miles showing, the Royce still feels box-fresh as you face its large, two-spoke wheel and upright dash.
Beautifully finished layers of burr walnut frame the myriad clocks and beautifully tactile switches.
You sit high, eyeing the Spirit’s rump, the column-mounted gear selector jutting up in its ‘park’ position before you.
Rear passengers – especially if they valued their privacy – would be reassured by the deep C-pillars behind which you automatically sink back, feet nestling in an unfeasibly deep lambswool rug.
Contrasts don’t come any greater than when you step from Rolls-Royce to Cadillac.
Matthew Wright’s 1977 example is not an original UK import but, other than being a left-hooker, it represents what would have been on offer to British buyers.
To my eyes, the Seville’s lines – at least in profile – are sharper and more contemporary than those of the Shadow or XJ, even if the grille and oversized chrome bumper may still have appeared a touch gauche for European tastes.
Inside, you sit low in a comfortable, leather-faced seat, but perhaps not one trimmed with hides that would have passed Crewe’s approval loop.
Still, what the Caddy lacks in material quality, it makes up for in its gadget-count: a ‘bong’ sounds as you open the door if you’ve left the ignition key inserted; telltale fibre-optic lights on wing-top pods alert you to bulb failures; ‘dial-a-temp’ climate control was still a ’70s rarity; and electric seats, a soft-close bootlid, ‘economy’ lights and Sentinel automatic headlights all add to the theatre.
But the strip speedo (which, curiously, maxes out at 85mph, despite the 105mph top speed) and swathes of faux wood adorning every interior panel draw a clear line between this mass-produced Detroit product and the 70% dearer one handmade by Crewe’s artisans.
That Max Holder’s rare and nicely presented Old English White XJ12 sits somewhere in between is perhaps no surprise.
Being around 10in shorter and 2in narrower than the Shadow and Seville, it looks almost petite in their company.
And even though the XJ is only an inch lower than the Caddy, its slim C-pillars and the subtle curvature of its body give a more sporting and less formal air.
The driver’s seat is low, and ergonomically it’s the best of our trio, although the mid-’70s British Leyland switchgear was always a retrograde step versus the relative classiness of the Series 1 dash.
The toy count, as you’d expect for a car costing so much less than the other two, is not quite as generous – it has climate control but no cruise, for example.
But when you start its creamy-smooth V12 and engage drive with the only floor-shifter in this group, any misgivings that the XJ might not hold its own in such esteemed company start to fade away.
At three turns from lock to lock, its steering’s gearing is broadly on a par with the other two, but its accuracy and feedback are superior in every way; put simply, the Jag feels lighter than its 4179lb would have you believe.
Its damping and spring rates are perfectly judged, silently dismissing ruts and surface imperfections with disdain yet retaining the kind of body control that a Rolls-Royce or Cadillac driver could only dream of.
And that’s before you extend the V12 further and discover that this is a near-two-tonne rocketship.
Contemporary road-test results revealed a 145mph maximum and 0-60mph in 7.5 secs, which is impressive even 45 years on.
It does lack the low-to-mid-range clout of the two V8-powered cars, but the fact that it’s so linear in the upper reaches makes it a pleasure on the right road.
The same is true of the Rolls, although that right road would probably need to be taken at a slower pace to appreciate the car’s abilities.
Weighing 671lb more than the XJ, the Shadow’s sheer mass pulverises surface irregularities into submission, and sitting so high isolates you from what the road wheels are doing, which is exactly as you’d expect from a Rolls-Royce.
But pick up speed on undulating New Forest roads and the Shadow feels more out of its depth, its body developing a slow-motion heave that can easily be made worse if your steering inputs aren’t gentle enough.
Yet that’s not what this car is about. Lope along at 50mph and its rolling refinement is second to none. It has an air of indifference with which the other two can’t compete, and that somehow perfectly equates with the Shadow’s ethos.
That prices for all Silver Shadows are now on the rise makes the ownership proposition even more compelling.
Could the Cadillac ever hope to compete? If you set aside cabin quality for a moment, you might be shocked to hear that the Seville is a better driver’s car overall than the Shadow.
Its ride comfort is quite exceptional and, once you become accustomed to the ridiculously light steering, it clings on gamely through bends with a degree of body control that you would not expect – and I’m not even going to qualify that with ‘for an American car’.
Where the Seville falls short is in its lacklustre performance (0-60mph in 12.5 secs and 105mph flat-out say it all, really), and when you reintroduce cabin ambience to the equation, the balance tips firmly in the Silver Shadow’s favour.
Were we to weight a world’s best car’s qualities in order, for many it would start with the brand, followed by the exquisiteness of the cabin and the car’s ability to waft the miles away – in which case, the Rolls-Royce takes full honours.
Throw in exclusivity and a frisson of driver appeal, as well as economic considerations, and the Caddy really does come close to meeting the Shadow head-on.
But for me, the Jaguar’s overall excellence as a complete package makes it the best car here by a country mile – and, back in 1977, the best car in the world, too.
Images: Luc Lacey
Thanks to: Lisa Alderson, Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club; Roger Kemp, Jaguar Drivers’ Club; Ben Coleman, National Motor Museum
Factfile
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II
- Sold/number built 1976-’80/8425
- Construction steel unitary
- Engine all-alloy, ohv 6750cc V8, twin SU HF7 carburettors
- Max power 230bhp (est)
- Max torque 300lb ft (est)
- Transmission three-speed automatic, RWD
- Suspension independent, at front by lower wishbones, upper stabilisers rear semi-trailing arms, self-levelling; coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar f/r
- Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
- Brakes powered discs
- Length 17ft ½in (5194mm)
- Width 5ft 11¾in (1823mm)
- Height 4ft 11¾in (1517mm)
- Wheelbase 10ft (3048mm)
- Weight 4850lb (2200kg)
- 0-60mph 10.5 secs
- Top speed 116mph
- Mpg 12-15
- Price new £24,248
- Price now £15-45,000*
Cadillac Seville
- Sold/number built 1976-’79/118,400
- Construction steel unitary, with front perimeter frame
- Engine all-iron, ohv 5735cc V8, Bendix fuel injection
- Max power 180bhp @ 4400rpm
- Max torque 275lb ft @ 2000rpm
- Transmission three-speed automatic, RWD
- Suspension: front independent, by double wishbones, coil springs rear live axle, leaf springs, self-levelling; telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar f/r
- Steering power-assisted recirculating ball
- Brakes discs, with servo
- Length 16ft 12in (5179mm)
- Width 5ft 11¾in (1823mm)
- Height 4ft 6¾in (1389mm)
- Wheelbase 9ft 6¼in (2903mm)
- Weight 4243lb (1924kg)
- 0-60mph 12.3 secs
- Top speed 105mph
- Mpg 12-15
- Price new £14,888
- Price now £8-15,000*
Jaguar XJ12 LWB
- Sold/number built 1973-’79/14,226
- Construction steel unitary
- Engine all-alloy, sohc-per-bank 5343cc V12, Lucas fuel injection
- Max power 285bhp @ 5750rpm
- Max torque 294lb ft @ 3500rpm
- Transmission three-speed automatic, RWD
- Suspension independent, at front by double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar rear rubber-mounted subframe, lower wishbones, trailing radius arms, twin coil/damper units
- Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
- Brakes discs, with servo
- Length 16ft 2¾in (4945mm)
- Width 5ft 9¾in (1770mm)
- Height 4ft 6in (1371mm)
- Wheelbase 9ft 4¾in (2865mm)
- Weight 4179lb (1895kg)
- 0-60mph 7.5 secs
- Top speed 145mph
- Mpg 13-18
- Price new £9429
- Price now £10-15,000*
*Prices correct at date of original publication
Keyword: Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II vs Cadillac Seville vs Jaguar XJ12 LWB: game of thrones