Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 2 DHC (1961)
Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupe One of 75 originally built
€
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Description
Description
6,320 cm³ OHV V8 aluminum engine, four-speed automatic transmission, independent front suspension with coil springs, rigid rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and hydraulic drum brakes with brake booster on all four wheels. Wheelbase: 123 inches
One of only 75 built
Very well equipped, including air conditioning
Left-hand drive
Launched in April 1955, the Silver Cloud marked a turning point for Rolls-Royce. Traditionally, all of the brand's vehicles were delivered as a pure chassis, which was then individually built by independent coachbuilders. But times were changing - the market for such custom-built vehicles was shrinking, particularly in the economically depressed post-war Britain. In addition, the increasingly streamlined automobile designs were difficult to combine with hand-built bodies, especially when the manufacturer's front end was used.
The sister brand Bentley had already been offering a factory "Standard Steel Saloon" body since 1946, which was well received. In fact, this body style was also available for the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn from 1949, but initially only for export. Chief designer John Blatchley designed the new Silver Cloud saloon - a compact saloon for the self-driver - which was based on a new box frame with a 123-inch wheelbase. In 1957, a variant with an extended wheelbase (127 inches) was introduced.
The Silver Cloud's engine was the same inlet-over-exhaust (F-head) in-line six-cylinder as the last Silver Wraith. A four-speed automatic transmission was fitted as standard, while a four-speed manual transmission was available as an option - in contrast to the practice on the Wraith. The drum brakes were equipped with brake boosters. A total of 2,360 vehicles of the first Silver Cloud series were produced, including 122 long-wheelbase models, some of which were fitted with special bodywork.
In September 1959, the Silver Cloud II was launched - now with an all-new V8 aluminum engine with overhead valves and a displacement of 6,230 cc. Like its predecessor, the Silver Cloud II was also available with two wheelbases and was produced until 1962, a total of 2,717 units. For better differentiation, the first Silver Clouds are now retroactively referred to as "Silver Cloud I".
This vehicle is one of only 107 Drophead Coupés built by Mulliner-Park Ward on the short Silver Cloud II chassis - and one of only 75 left-hand drive examples. The two London coachbuilders H.J. Mulliner and Park Ward & Co. had a long history of collaboration with Rolls-Royce Ltd. In the late 1950s, when bespoke coachbuilding was in sharp decline, Rolls-Royce first took over H.J. Mulliner and two years later integrated Park Ward into the new subsidiary. The result was Mulliner Park Ward Ltd., which from then on functioned as an in-house supplier of special bodies - as this Drophead Coupé impressively demonstrates.
This vehicle was built as a left-hand drive and delivered via J.S. Inskip to a Mr. H. Reedman from Trenton, New Jersey. It is equipped with the standard automatic transmission and air conditioning and also has whitewall tires, power windows, power antenna, altimeter, lambskin carpets and an additional rear speaker with volume control. The vehicle is unrestored, but has been partially refurbished and is in very good condition with only a few signs of wear. The mileage is under 80,000 miles. The current owner acquired the car around six years ago and has maintained it continuously since then, driving it regularly and enjoying it in and around Las Vegas.
We then purchased the car and imported it to Germany and it has been driven and loved by us in Germany ever since. Of course, the car has only been driven in good weather. The oil and all service work was always carried out promptly and professionally. The gearbox and drum brakes were meticulously overhauled/rebuilt in 2021 without sparing any expense and have been working flawlessly ever since. The vehicle has signs of use and patina commensurate with its age, so the current rating is a 2. Mechanically, the car is impeccable and can be driven immediately.
Test drives are possible after proof of purchase in the passenger seat.
The sale takes place under exclusion of any liability for material defects.
The car is being sold privately.
A guarantee, warranty or return is expressly excluded.
The buyer agrees to accept the vehicle in the condition in which it was inspected and test-driven.
All information has been provided to the best of our knowledge and belief.
Errors, typing errors and prior sale reserved.
Price
300'000.- CHF (negotiable)
€
Seller
6613 Porto Ronco
Schweiz
