Welcome to the captivating story of SRX3142, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow with a rich history that spans over five decades. From its early days at Conners Chevrolet to becoming a cherished family heirloom, this iconic car has witnessed generations of memories. Join us as we delve into the milestones that have shaped the life of SRX3142 and explore the passion and dedication that have kept it on the road for so many years.

1967 SRX 3142: The journey begins in 1967 when SRX3142 rolled off the Crewe production line, setting the stage for a remarkable story that would unfold over the years.

1968-1970: Sold new to Donald Marsh in 1968, SRX3142 found its first home. In 1969, Earl F “Butch” Murphy Jr. joined Conners Chevrolet in Columbus, Ohio. The dealership later took on the Rolls-Royce franchise, and Butch moved into the new franchise, undergoing factory training. In 1970, after returning from training, he worked on SRX3142 for the first time, performing minor repairs and service.

1970-1974: Rolls-Royce of Columbus Emerges Six months after Conners Chevrolet acquired the Rolls-Royce franchise, it was sold, becoming Rolls-Royce of Columbus and relocating to Worthington, Ohio. SRX3142 continued to receive service at the new location, primarily by Butch. In 1974, Donald Marsh decided to trade SRX3142 for a new 1974 Silver Shadow at Rolls-Royce of Columbus. John McCombe made several changes, including adding Shell Gray sides and addressing some body repairs.

1974-1993: New Ownership Margarette's Ownership On May 24, 1974, SRX3142 was purchased by Dustin Swisher for his wife, Margarette. Under Margarette’s ownership until 1993, Butch Jr. continued as the primary caretaker. The car remained mostly original, except for the grey sides added in 1974. In 1985, SRX3142 underwent a brake and hydraulic system overhaul, marking Butch III's first involvement in working on the car.

 

1993: A Special Acquisition In 1993, Butch Sr. acquired SRX3142 from Mrs. Margarette Swisher with 86,559 miles on it. Mrs. Swisher, at 94, wanted to ensure the car would be cared for, making a deal with Butch Sr. After acquiring the car, Butch Sr. regularly took Mrs. Swisher for drives through the country to visit her old farm in Groveport. This went on till her passing until her passing in 1994. The car was present at her funeral services.

1995-1998: New Generations In 1995, SRX3142 brought Butch Sr.'s granddaughter, Ashley, home from the hospital. In 1998, it played the same role for Butch Sr.'s grandson, Andrew.

2019: Passing the Torch In 2019, SRX3142 was passed on to Butch Jr., with the car parked for a few years and due for re-commissioning. Andrew learned how to service his first Silver Shadow, including a brake system overhaul on SRX3142. The car also had all the dings removed using paintless dent removal. Earl F “Butch” Murphy Jr B was able to see the car after it returned from service and enjoyed taking rides. However, In 2020, Butch Sr. passed away, and the car was used for his services.

2021-2022: Restoration and Showroom Display In 2021, SRX3142's interior, completely original, was improved. This included complete wood refinishing by Steve & Seth Glazier, the interior deeply cleaned, and the leather refinished in its original colour. In 2022, the car was displayed at the Hagerty Insurance Corporate showroom in Dublin, Ohio for the month of April. This coincided with our giving seminar at their facility on the evolution of the brake and hydraulic systems from 1965 through then end of the spirit series.

2023: SRX3142 was stripped and repainted including body repair. The car, though very presentable, was showing its age with thinning and cracking paint and a couple of places of previous body repair starting to show.  The lower half of the car needed some metal repairs done on it so Gary Stone, the metal repairer, asked us to strip the paint from the lower half of the car before he would repair the couple spots. Once the paint was stripped we were pleasantly surprised how good the metal looked all over. As Gary started to look the car over, questioned lead in the lower rear quarters, and when heating about 8 -10 pounds of solder dropped out of each side leaving a large hole with a makeshift repair panel welded in.  Seeing this, we placed an order with Flying Spares for the rear fender lower sections and the front fender lower sections. 

Upon cutting an exploiter hole and using a camera, Gary found large amounts of rust inside the rocker panels and around the inside of all wheel arches - though nothing visible on the outside. The old phrase “Beauty is only skin deep” applies to SRX3142. Another order was placed with Flying Spares for all the wheel arches and rocker panels. His repair areas were finished and primered. We are very thankful for Colin Orr at Flying Spares working with us. Colin knew we were in a time crunch and our orders were shipped out immediately. We could not imagine tackling this job without proper fitting body panels.

We were under a very short time frame painting the car. The job grew greatly and SRX3142 was still in the final stages of sanding and primering as we were approaching the week of the wedding. Tuesday before the wedding, the car was painted. The car was painted using base/clear, and the color of the car was changed to a later Rolls-Royce color of Royal blue. As the second coat of clear was being put on, a reaction started to develop. The next day, I contacted Tim Hines, painter, as well as the PPG dealer to determine what happened. PPG could not explain why the reaction developed in the clear but ended up replacing all the materials used. On Wednesday, the car was sanded down and re-sprayed that evening. It was now Thursday, and we still had a dismantled car. After a couple of long days and nights, we had the car put back together (not fully) but enough for it to be in our daughter's wedding on Saturday.

October 2023: Wedding Bliss, On October 07, 2023, SRX3142 took centre stage as the wedding car for Butch Jr.'s daughter Ashley and her husband Ben, chauffeured by Andrew, marking a joyous occasion for the Murphy family.

After the wedding, much of the trim fitted was removed so the paint could be sanded and polished.

Conclusion: As SRX3142 continues its journey, the story is far from over. The car stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of craftsmanship and passion for automobiles, with plans to drive it to the 2024 RROC National Meet in Nashville, Tennessee, ensuring its saga of elegance endures.