All proceeds from the sale will go to Superhumans Center, a non-profit that’s providing aid in Ukraine
In addition to his singular musical legacy, Freddie Mercury left behind a slew of prized cars. Now the first Rolls-Royce he ever owned is hitting the auction block, and all the proceeds are going towards a good cause.
RM Sotheby’s is offering up the singer’s 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow during a sale on 5 November. The former Queen frontman was said to have owned the car from 1979 until his death in 1991 at age 45. After his passing, the Rolls-Royce was scooped up by his sister, Kashmira Cooke, and remained in her possession until 2013 when it was bought at auction. Next month, the ‘74 Shadow will cross the block again, but this time the money from the sale will benefit Superhumans Center, a charity that’s providing aid for Ukrainian war victims.
“This car represents a serious piece of history and the fact that the proceeds of the sale will benefit the amazing Superhumans of Ukraine charity is wonderful,” says Nick Wiles, a car specialist at RM Sotheby’s. Despite never having a licence, that didn’t stop Mercury from amassing quite the class car collection. In fact, the Silver Shadow is reportedly what he was often chauffeured in throughout his career and even where the band’s record label signing took place.
“We filmed the promo video for ‘We Will Rock You’ in the garden of Roger Taylor’s new Surrey mansion. . .and Freddie upstaged everyone by arriving in his brand new Roller,” says Jim Beach, the long-time band manager of Queen, in a documentary. “Freddie insisted that we sign all of the contracts, all of us together, in the back of the Roller, because this was the first Rolls he’d ever owned.”
According to the auction site, the car is finished in Silver Chalice paint with blue-grey interiors and is outfitted with a 6,750 cc V-8 engine. There’s also a chord phone and cassette deck, which adds to its cool factor. Accompanying the Shadow is a history file to confirm its celeb status. In it, you’ll find past workshop invoices with Mercury’s name on them, along with a letter of authenticity from Beach.
The auction kicks off on 5 November, with a preview scheduled for 4 November.
This article was first published on Robb Report USA
