Bids start at £35k for Eric Morecambe's prized Rolls Royce up for auction this month

The 1974 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow is being offered at a guide price of between £35,000 and £40,000 by Iconic Auctioneers (formerly Silverstone Auctions).

On October 11 1974, the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, finished in Walnut Brown with a Beige interior, was supplied new to Eric and bore his private EM 100 registration.

The car was much loved by Eric, and it's poignant that he still had the Rolls ten years later when he sadly passed away, at the age of 58, on May 28 1984.

The family kept the car for a further 20-years until they sold it at auction in December 2004.

Arwel Richards, who specialises in Rolls-Royces for the auction house said: “Clearly cherished by Eric for ten years and then held on to by the family for a further two decades this Rolls-Royce has the unique provenance of being once owned by someone who is still held in universal high regard nearly forty years on from his untimely death.

"A comic’s legacy is acknowledged by the smile their name brings and we look forward to hearing about the next owner’s experience when they tell people who once owned their car.”

The Morecambe-born TV comedian bought his first Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow in 1972.

This car was saved from the scrapyard in 2009 and restored by local businessman Peter Yates.

Eric's second Silver Shadow is the one being auctioned.

The cars were driven by Eric's chauffeur and friend, Mike Fountain, who later made Morecambe his home.

He died in 2022.

The car goes up for auction on August 26 at 11am, with more details at https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/1974-rolls-royce-silver-shadow-rec12544-1-silverston-0823?pn=1&el=20759&pp=100