Johnny Cash’s Battery-Powered Rolls-Royce Is Up for Sale Right Now
You can now add a car that belonged to one of country music’s biggest legends to your collection.
A 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow owned by Johnny Cash is currently up for sale. But provenance isn’t the only noteworthy thing about this glamorous saloon. It’s also been future-proofed, with its original powertrain swapped for the electric motor and battery pack from a Tesla.
The Rolls in question is a long-wheelbase, or “long door,” Silver Shadow that was originally ordered by ABC Television and gifted to Cash as recognition for the success of his eponymous variety show. The Man in Black would hold on to the black four-door until the mid-1980s, which was enough of a draw for its current owner, Vice Media cofounder Shane Smith, who bought the car at auction last decade. The vehicle, which had 130,000 miles showing on its odometer, was in need of a serious mechanical overhaul, though. Rather than just replace the eight-cylinder with another internal combustion engine, Smith decided to modernize the car and convert it to battery power.
Johnny Cash’s 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow LWB
John Paul Jones
“When we got it, you know, it was like burning fucking fuel oil. It was just black smoke coming out,” Smith said on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2024. “It was just black smoke coming out. So, I turned it into a Tesla.”
The media executive originally approached Tesla about taking on the project, but when the EV maker declined, they hired Shift Electric Vehicles to handle the conversion, according to a 2020 Car and Driver article. The shop, which is based in Albany, Oregon, specializes in unusual conversions, having previously turned a Streamliner, a 1978 Porsche 911 SC, and a helicopter into EVs.
Inside Cash’s Silver Shadow
John Paul Jones
Shift rejuvenated the Silver Shadow by swapping out its original engine and drivetrain for the motor, electrical systems, and 75 kWh battery pack from a 2016 Tesla Model S. The shop, which has been converting EVs since 2009, chose the Model S as the donor vehicle because its components would fit into the Silver Shadow’s undercarriage without much trouble, especially because of the car’s ample ground clearance. The work is so subtle that it’s almost impossible to tell that the stunning black-over-black saloon is an EV, especially since its infotainment system screen is hidden away in the trunk.
Intrigued? Cash’s electrified Silver Shadow is on sale right now. Buyers interested in purchasing a piece of musical history can email jp@sshq.com for further details. Price is available upon request, but we imagine that, after all the work that went into turning it into an EV, it will cost significantly more than it commanded at auction.
Click here for more photos of Johnny Cash’s former 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
