1960 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II

The arrival of the Silver Cloud in April of 1955 was a watershed moment for the luxury marque, Rolls-Royce, whose cars were traditionally delivered in bare chassis form to outside coachbuilders to receive their bodywork. In the material-starved and overtaxed austere post-war Britain, times were changing, and the coachbuilt luxury car segment began to fade as marques began to favor new construction techniques and methods.

Rolls-Royce gained experience in offering 'complete' vehicles, rather than just rolling chassis, through its sister marque Bentley, who had offered an in-house 'Standard Steel' saloon body from 1946, known as the Mark VI. Rolls-Royce received their first 'Standard Steel' body in 1949 with the Silver Dawn, but initially offered solely for export.

When Chief designer John Blatchley began designing the new Silver Cloud Saloon, an owner-driven saloon, he incorporated some of the styling used by H.J. Mulliner. It used a new steel box section 123-inch wheelbase chassis and light-weight aluminium-based alloy was used for the trunk (boot) lid, hood (bonnet), and doors. The suspension was independent at the front with coil springs while the rear used a semi-elliptic spring arrangement. Power was sourced from the tried-and-true 4.9-liter six-cylinder with inlet over exhaust valves and delivering 155 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. The standard transmission was a General Motors designed four-speed HydraMatic transmission and braking power was by hydraulically-assisted Rolls-Royce mechanical servo with 11-inch drums. Twin brake master cylinders were added from April of 1956.

Production of the Silver Cloud I lasted from 1955 through 1958 with 2,238 examples built during that time. Air conditioning and power steering became part of the optional equipment list in 1956, and a long-wheelbase version (extended by four inches) was made available in September of 1957.

Silver Cloud II
The Silver Cloud II arrived in 1959 and would remain in production through 1962 with 2,417 examples built. Visual changes were minimal with the bulk of the updates occurring under-hood, where a new Rolls-Royce developed 6.2-liter, wet-linered, aluminum-alloy V8 engine with hydraulic tappets was installed in the engine bay. The engine was larger, slightly louder, and less smooth than its straight-six predecessor, but it did raise the top speed to approximately 183 km/h (114 mph). Acceleration and torque were also improved, and power steering became standard equipment. The options list gained electrically operated windows.

The leap from six- to eight-cylinder power was a logical progression as Rolls-Royce faced increasing, higher-performance competition from its rivals, and the development of its aging six-cylinder unit was nearing its end. The V8 was the predominant power unit in the United States, so it was only natural that Crewe would study the best American designs, in particular those of Cadillac and Chrysler, for inspiration.

To accommodate the new V8 within the engine bay, Rolls-Royce engineers relocated the steering box from inside to the outside of the chassis frame being the most obvious alteration to the previous arrangements. Rolls-Royce's own four-speed automatic transmission was now the only one on offer.

During the production lifespan of the Silver Cloud II, numerous minor updates were made including improvements to the ventilation system, the addition of blue instrument lighting in 1961, and the addition of a combined indicator / headlamp flasher switch and of a handbrake warning light. In May of 1962, a restyled rear light assembly was added and a change to single sealed-beam headlamps in August of that year.

The standard body style was a four-door saloon, while coachbuilders offered a two-door convertible and a two-door coupe. Among the bespoke creations were those from James Young and the soon-to-be-merged firms of H J Mulliner and Park Ward Ltd (the latter already owned by Rolls-Royce). As the factory did not offer a convertible or drophead coupé, a coachbuilt car was the only option if one's preference was Rolls-Royce-style fresh air motoring. H. J. Mulliner produced 107 examples of the drophead coupe on the Silver Cloud II chassis.

Silver Cloud III
The final iteration of the Silver Cloud family was introduced to the public at the Paris Salon in early October of 1962. The engine gained 2-inch SU carburetors replacing the prior 1.75-inch units, overall weight was reduced by approximately 100 kg (220 lbs), changes were made to the interior, and the external dimensions were slightly altered. Production of the Silver Cloud III lasted from 1963 through 1966 with 2,044 examples built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021