1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
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One of the last of only 75 left drives built 1960-1962, this never damaged or corroded Beverly Hills - delivered example has traveled only 52,577 miles since new. Equipped as originally supplied with optional air conditioning, split bench seating and power windows and finished as ordered in Sand lacquer with Beige top and hides, it is accompanied by its original unplundered tool kit and complete owner's handbooks as well as copies of the factory records.

It was first delivered to a Hollywood film executive, Mr. John Edgar of Beverly Hills, California on November 11, 1962-such a late date that the factory records instruct it to be registered as a 1963 (which is a Silver Cloud III)! It later passed to the husband of the late Lucille Ball, who never titled it in his or her name as he did like to trade in cars, but the car was widely known as the 'Lucille Ball' car in the 1970s. It was acquired by Vantage Motorworks from the third owner in 1983 with 43,961 total miles traveled and resold to a noted physician from Ft. Meyers, Florida, in early 1984 who enjoyed it sparingly until 1996 when it was again sold by Vantage Motorworks to a Miami Beach attorney with approximately 6,000 miles more showing. That gentleman suffered a lifestyle change and Vantage Motorworks reacquired the automobile in 2004 and resold it to its present sixth owner, Guillermo Salazar.

Because of the obvious car taken with this vehicle, it has never required a major restoration.
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LWB Limousine
 
Known as the 'Proper Motorcar', most Rolls-Royce Silver Clouds were five passenger sedans, while this particular automobile is a highly unusual long wheelbase limousine. This automobile is currently in its third ownership. It was originally built for an Italian Countess from Milan, Italy and the second owner of this fine automobile was from Monte Carlo, the Principality of Monaco.

The quality of these fine automobiles is attested to by the Rolls-Royce advertising slogan: 'At sixty miles an hour the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.'

New for 1959, Rolls-Royce offered an 8-cylinder 90-degree V-configuration, aluminum-silicon alloy cylinder block with cast-iron wet cylinder liners, bore x stroke 104.14 x 91.44 mm (4.1x3.6 inch) capacity 6,230 cc engine.
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SCT100 Touring Limousine Young
Coachwork: James Young
Chassis Num: LCC76
 
This 1962 Rolls-Royce SCT100 Touring Limousine was offered for sale at the 2007 Blackhawk Collection Exhibit held at the Pebble Beach Concours. It carried a price tag of $225,000. It is the extremely rare SCT 100 Touring Limousine on a Silver Cloud II Chassis. This is a Non-Division model which allows for more comfort in the front area. Coachwork is alloy and 1 of a handful crafted by 'James Young Coachbuilders'. The vehicle has recently gone through a complete reconditioning; including tires, brakes, batter, wiper, turn signals, window motors, and more.

Source - Blackhawk Collection
The next major model change took place in 1955 with the introductions of the Silver Cloud. It was fitted with the current 4,887cc engine, but a totally new pressed-steel body was designed and the streamlined, elegant and perfectly balanced look of this car made it an instant success. Most cars were fitted with an automatic gearbox although a few were manual.

The rear brakes were combined hydraulic and mechanical with the usual Rolls-Royce gearbox-driven servo. Front suspension was by unequal length wishbones and coil springs with rear semi-elliptic electrically controlled dampers. A top speed of 106 mph was possible.

The press called the new Silver Cloud the 'finest car in the world' and said, 'There is little doubt that these find new cars will carry on the maker's tradition and reputation.' They were right: orders came from all around the world, with an unprecedented number from America, where it proved to be extremely popular in Hollywood.

The Silver Cloud II, launched in 1959, retained the same body as the Silver Cloud I, but was powered by a completely new V8 engine of 6,230cc. Coupled with automatic transmission as standard, the Silver Cloud II set new standards of refinement and performance. The 'Autocar' wrote: 'Only by adopting advanced production methods and thereby increasing yearly output can a superlative machine like this be made today at a price its clientele can afford. The Rolls-Royce is one of very few surviving top quality cars; the maintained standard of overall excellence is rewarded by full order books, and a world reputation which has never stood higher.'

In 1962, a lower bonnet line and twin headlamps were introduced and the Cloud III was born. Engine power was upped by 15% and the top speed rose to 117 mph. The compression ratio was increased and the 1-inch SU carburetors replaced by 2-inch units.

A 1963 road test stated: 'It is a pity that a connoisseur's car like the Rolls-Royce remains far beyond the dreams of the vast majority of the World's motorists, but good to know that cars of this quality can be built still and that there is a healthy market for them. They set a standard that is really appreciated best when one returns to driving lesser cars.'

The Silver Cloud range prompted the immortal line used in its advertising, 'At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.'

Source - Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The last of the Rolls-Royce separate-chassis cars from Crewe, the Silver Cloud was the main vehicle manufactured by Rolls-Royce from April 1955 until March 1966. The Silver Cloud replaced the Silver Dawn and was eventually replaced by the Silver Shadow. A major update from the pre-war models, the main design work was accomplished by J.P. Blatchley.

With a simple steel box section, the chassis was welded together and was very rigid while construction was still split into chassis and pressed steel and aluminum coachwork. It wasn't until the Silver Shadow that the uni-body construction arrived.

Weighing a total of 1.95 ton's, the Silver Cloud measured 5.38 m long and 1.90 m wide. Transmission was a four-speed automatic with an engine that was a 4.9 L six-cylinder unit. Suspension was independent coils at the front and semi-elliptic springs at the rear while the brakes were servo-assisted hydraulic drums.

In 1959 the Silver Cloud II was introduced with minor changes externally, but with the addition of a 6.2 L V8 engine with now pushed the vehicles weight to 2.11 tons. The top speed jumped to 183 km/h while the biggest improvements were showcased in acceleration and torque. Essentially the Silver Cloud with a different engine, the Rolls-Royce new 6.2-liter light-alloy V8 has been said to have been inspired by Cadillac's 1949 OHV unit.

Identical in everything but the nameplate, and of course, the Rolls-Royce radiator and mascot, the Silver Cloud II favored the companion Bentley S-Type Series II. 229 units of this model were long-wheelbase limo's with division window and handcrafted coachwork, though most of these vehicles had the ‘standard steel' sedan body. Though falling behind the rising standard of chassis refinement, the 1959-1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II was still the ‘Best Car in the World'.

In 1963 the Silver Cloud III was unveiled with slightly updated external tweaks and a remodeled interior. The weight of this newest model was reduced by almost 100 kg which resulted in boosted engine speed and slight performance. Very similar to the later Silver Shadow, the headlights were updated to a four-headlamp layout.

A total of 2,238 units of the Silver Cloud were produced during its production time.

Elizabeth Johnson

Photos grouped by event

Blackhawk Collection at the Pebble Beach Concours

Ault Park Concours d'Elegance

2005 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud

Year1962
MakeRolls-Royce
ModelSilver Cloud
Engine LocationFront
Drive TypeRear Wheel
Production Years for Series1950 - 1965
Coach WorkJames Young
Weight4640 lbs | 2104.7 kg

Chassis / Engine Numbers Shown
Chassis NumberLCC76

Engine  
Engine ConfigurationV
Cylinders8
Aspiration/InductionNormal
Displacement6223.00 cc | 379.8 cu in. | 6.2 L.
Valves16 valves.
2 valves per cylinder.
ValvetrainOHV
Compression Ratio8.00:1
Fuel TypeGasoline - Petrol
Fuel FeedCarburetor
2 SU carburetors

Standard Transmission
Gears4
TransmissionAutomatic


 
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Articles and Event Coverage
Blackhawk Collection at the Pebble Beach Concours
Ault Park Concours d'Elegance
2005 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

Additional Resources and Links
Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Official Website
Concours d'Elegance at Ault Park Official Website
Blackhawk Collection at Pebble Beach Official Website


Other Model Years
1965 Silver Cloud III
1964 Silver Cloud III
1963 Silver Cloud III
1963 Silver Cloud III SCT 100 James Young Touring Limo
1961 Silver Cloud II
1960 Silver Cloud II
1959 Silver Cloud I
1957 Silver Cloud
1956 Silver Cloud
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