Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud

The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud is an automobile produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from April 1955 to March 1966.
It was the core model of the Rolls-Royce range during that period.
The Silver Cloud replaced the Silver Dawn and was, in turn, replaced by the Silver Shadow.
The J. P. Blatchley design was a major change from the pre-war models and the highly derivative Silver Dawn.
As part of a range rationalisation the Bentley S1 is very similar, apart from its radiator grille.

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud I

The Rolls Royce Silver Cloud was Produced from 1955-1958
2,238 were produced.
The body style’s include:
A 4-door saloon
2-door convertible
2-door coupé
The size of the Engine was 4.9 L I6 with a Transmission 4 speed GM Hydramatic automatic with a Wheelbase of 123 in (3,124 mm) (short-wheelbase) 127 in (3,226 mm) (long wheelbase, offered for 1957 and 1958 cars), the Length was 212 in (5,385 mm) with a Width of 74.75 in (1,899 mm).
It’s height was 64 in (1,626 mm)
Construction was body-on-frame, which permitted special bodied versions, though the overwhelming majority were built with the standard Pressed Steel Company manufactured steel body shell.
A light-weight aluminium-based alloy was used for:
Doors
Bonnet/hood
Boot/trunk lid
The chassis was a:
Simple steel box section, welded together and very rigid
The car was 5.38 m (212 in) long, 1.90 m (75 in) wide, and massed 1.95 tonnes.
The engine was a:
155 hp / 4000 rpm 4.9 L six-cylinder unit with inlet over exhaust valves
Twin SU carburettors were added in September 1957.
The standard transmission was a:
Four-speed automatic
General Motors sourced Hydramatic transmission
The turning circle was 41 feet 8 inches (12.70 m).
Features
Brakes were hydraulic and assisted by the Rolls-Royce mechanical servo with 11 in (279 mm) drums
Suspension was independent coils at the front and semi-elliptic springs at the rear
Twin brake master cylinders were incorporated from April 1956.
Power steering and air conditioning became available as options in 1956.
A long-wheelbase version lengthened by 4 in (102 mm) was also made available in September 1957, outwardly very similar to the existing car but offering improved leg space for rear-seat passengers.
The British Motor magazine tested a standard-wheelbase factory-bodied Series I in 1956 recording a top speed of 102.9 mph (165.6 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 13.5 seconds. The test car cost £5078 including taxes.

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II

The Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II was produced in 1959-1962, with 2,417 produced
It’s Body style was a 4-door saloon and was available in a 2-door convertible and a 2-door coupé
The engine was a 6.2 L Rolls-Royce V8 with a Wheelbase of 123 in (3,124 mm) (short-wheelbase)
127 in (3,226 mm) (long wheelbase) with a Length of 213 in (5,410 mm) and a Width of 74.75 in (1,899 mm) and a Height of 64 in (1,626 mm)
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II.
The Silver Cloud II was introduced in 1959. Little changed externally but it now had a 6.2 L V8 engine, which pushed the weight to 2.11 tonnes.
Performance was greatly improved and top speed was raised to 183 km/h (114 mph), but the main improvements were in acceleration and torque.
Power steering became standard.
Electrically operated windows were now available as an option.
Although the improved performance of the new car was welcomed, commentators of the time noted that the V8-engined Silver Cloud II was neither as quiet nor as smooth as the straight-six-cylinder-engined Silver Cloud I, despite the new engine's hydraulic tappet operation.
The new wet-linered V8 was also a little cramped in an engine bay intended originally for a narrower unit
Minor Changes
The basic architecture of the Silver Cloud II did not change between 1959 and 1963
There were numerous minor changes implemented including:
A succession of improvements to the ventilation system

1961
Interior changes in 1961 included:
The adoption of blue instrument lighting
The introduction of a combined indicator / headlamp flasher switch
Handbrake warning light
A remodelled rear light assembly was introduced in May 1962
Change to single sealed-beam headlamps was made in August 1962.
The Motor magazine tested a Series II in 1960. They recorded a top speed of 104.7 mph (168.5 km/h), acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.9 seconds and a fuel consumption of 13 miles per imperial gallon (22 L/100 km; 11 mpg‑US).
The test car cost £6092 including taxes

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III

The Silver Cloud was produced between 1963-1966 with only 2,044 produced.
The Body style was a 4-door saloon with Variations provided by coachbuilders were:
2-door convertible
2-door coupé
(a small number of 4-door convertibles, hearses and station wagons were also built)
The Engine was a 6.2 L Rolls-Royce V8 220HP
The Silver Cloud III was first displayed to the public at the Paris salon at the beginning of October 1962 but along with the Bentley S3 the cars were displayed on a specialist coachwork stand as if the modifications were to the special order of a particular customer.
External dimensions were slightly altered, the interior remodelled, the weight reduced by a little over 100 kg (220 lb) and improvements made to the engine which included fitting 2-inch (51 mm) SU carburettors in place of the 1¾ inch units used on the Series II Silver Cloud.
The compression ratio was increased to 9:1, reflecting the higher octane levels of premium fuel in major markets.
The option of a lower 8:1 compression ratio was still offered in markets where non-availability of higher octane fuels might be an issue.
Rolls-Royce, as before, refused to disclose overall engine power output, but indicated that there had been an improvement of "perhaps 7%".
Increased power and weight reduction boosted speed and performance slightly.
The engine now included:
A nitride hardened crankshaft to reflect the extra power being generated and in response to reports of broken crankshafts in the earlier V8 Silver Clouds
The transmission was a GM Hydramatic which Rolls-Royce used under licence.The headlights were grouped in a four-headlamp layout subsequently continued in the later Silver Shadow.
Other external changes included a slightly increased slope of the bonnet to correspond with a 1 1⁄2 inches (3.8 cm) reduction in radiator grille height.
1963-66
Between 1963 and 1966 there were no major changes except:
Stainless steel wheel trims replaced chrome-plated ones in April 1963
An improved rear window demister was introduced in November of the same year.
Wider front seats were fitted in January 1964
Five months later a revised headlamp surround now incorporated a very small RR monogram.
A chrome badge reading "Silver Cloud III" in an italic font can be seen on the right bottom side of the boot of most UK and European delivered examples
US versions were delivered without this badge.
As with earlier models, Rolls-Royce continued to make the Silver Cloud chassis available to traditional coachbuilders.
A notable version is the so-called "Chinese Eye" design, notable for its:
Slanted headlights
It was derived from the earlier H. J. Mulliner & Co. design for the Bentley S1 and S2 Continentals, made also available for the S3. Some 100 of the 328 coach-built Silver Cloud IIIs were of this style.

Production

Silver Cloud: 2,238
Silver Cloud Long Wheelbase: 85
Silver Cloud special coachbuilder styles (convertibles, coupes, hearses, etc.): 121
Silver Cloud II: 2,417
Silver Cloud II Long Wheelbase: 258
Silver Cloud II coachbuilder styles (convertibles, coupes, hearses, etc.): 107
Silver Cloud III: 2,044
Silver Cloud III Long Wheelbase: 206
Silver Cloud III coachbuilder styles (convertibles, coupes, hearses, etc.): 328

Popular Culture

A white 1965 Silver Cloud III featured prominently in The Avengers episode "Mission: Highly Improbable" broadcast November 1967.
In a 1971 song called "Up To Me," the British rock band Jethro Tull refers to this car with the lyric "I'll buy a Silver Cloud to ride."
Many famous singers in the 60s chose this car to be the ultimate ride in luxury.
Just to name a few of them Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley Car, Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra's Silver Cloud and John Lennon.
Even the designer Massimo Vignelli owned a Silver Cloud, in his early New York years.

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