Michael Caine's 1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is up for auction

For me, Sir Michael Caine has always embodied charm and class. I am not considered charming or classy, but when I dress up for work, I try to put myself on Kane's shoulders. I often fail to do so, but Michael Caine's style is this reporter's goal, and if I had a sizable sum of money in my pocket, I would buy his first car, a 1968 Rolls-Royce that H&H Classics will auction at the Imperial War Museum on the 15th. Silver Shadow Two Door Drophead Coupe, would buy it. The Silver Shadow is expected to fetch £100,000-150,000 ($121,000-$182,000) at the British auction. ($121,000 - $182,000)

"Depending on which theory you believe, the actor wandered into the famous Jack Berkeley showroom in Berkeley Square with a handwritten shopping list: milk, bread, newspapers, cigarettes, Rolls-Royce".

"Unkempt and unshaven, he admitted to being a little out of shape himself.

"Less than impressed, he headed for H.A. Fox's, another Rolls-Royce dealer in Mayfair, on Dover Street. There he found a 1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow 2-door drophead coupe that was in stock because playwright and screenwriter Terence Rattigan had canceled his order (Rattigan, most famous as the author of The Yellow Rolls-Royce, had already owned a 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupe). After purchasing the car, Kane realized that if he went the "L-plate" route, it would be cheaper to hire a driver than to pay the premium offered by the insurance company. The 35-year-old actor took great pleasure in passing by the Jack Barclay salesman and giving him the V-sign.

Kane owned Silver Shadow for less than two years, and in 1970, Jack Leach, owner of Fulham's Gasworks restaurant, which was frequented by big-name actors like Richard Burton and his American Bird, acquired Silver Shadow. Silver Shadow was reregistered as "ALO 182H" and operated regularly until Leach's death in 2013. After Leach's death, it was stored in a warehouse and then sold to its current consignor. He commissioned an extensive restoration, which the listing states "cost £100,000."

Only 506 Silver Shadow 2-door drophead coupes were hand-built between 1967 and 1971 by Rolls-Royce's in-house coachbuilder, Mariner Ward. The sale includes V5C registration papers, RREC copy chassis card, restoration photos, and numerous receipts. [Damian Jones, Senior Motor Car Specialist at H&H Classics, said, "The Cane and Silver Shadow have embodied coolness since the swingin' 60s and are still instantly recognizable and widely admired.

"The Caine and Silver Shadow have embodied cool since the Swinging Sixties," said Damian Jones, Senior Motor Car Specialist at H&H Classics, "and are still instantly recognizable and widely admired.

This article, written by David P. Castro, originally appeared on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.