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1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Drophead Coupe

  • Coachwork by Mulliner
  • Chassis Number: LSFE 451
  • Engine Number: SE 225
  • Body Number: 6118
The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud was produced in a wide variety of styles throughout its decade-long production run, though only a handful were the H.J. Mulliner Drop Head Coupe with design number 7410. H.J. Mulliner modified and adapted the Drop Heads from standard, steel saloons. The bodies were designed from a clean sheet and individually constructed in aluminum. They were fitted with cathedral taillights and luxurious appointments.

It is believed that less than twenty-five examples of the drophead coupe were built, of which 11 were originally specified in the left-hand drive configuration.

This example, chassis number LSFE 451, is a left-hand drive example that was delivered to its first owner, Lillie Hall, in November of 1957. It was finished in Black Pearl with scarlet Connolly hides and a black convertible top. It was registered UGU 935 and sent to Ferryfield Airport on June 21st of 1958, fully outfitted with power-assisted steering, door-lock weather shields, Dunlop whitewall tires, a Continental spares kit and a radio, as well as an RAC badge and a 'Made in England' plate.

Upon its arrival in the United States, this Rolls-Royce was delivered to the RKO Building in Rockefeller Center for Chappell & Co. Inc., the famed music publishing company. A short time later it was presented to musical theater composer Frederick Loewe in appreciation of his award-winning work on My Fair Lady.

Ownership later passed to Joseph V. Nash. In 1977, a short time after Mr. Nash purchased the vehicle, it was offered for sale in The Flying Lady where it was described as having 59,000 miles.

Jim Toole of Los Angeles purchased it in 1979. The car was treated to a ground-up restoration that began in 1980. When the work was completed, the vehicle won more than 60 first place awards at various concours and club meets.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California. It was estimated to sell for $400,000 - $550,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $451,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2011
Ever since its founding in 1906, Rolls-Royce has always sought after the highest standards of elegance and luxury. The Silver Cloud would have to be considered its standard-bearer and the image of the brand during the 1950s.

Utilizing the steel body shell manufactured by the Pressed Steel Company, the Silver Cloud line of automobile was very rigid, and yet, very simple in its design. This elegant simplicity would be at the heart of the replacement for the Silver Dawn.

Weighing in at nearly two tones and powered by a 4.9-liter six-cylinder engine producing 155hp, the car was by no means a sportscar, but it had the performance to combine neatly with the supple luxury. Yes, the car could reach a top speed of just over 100mph, but the car wasn't about that. It was about the experience of a journey immersed in opulent comfort.

The Silver Cloud I would begin production in 1955 and would continue through 1958. In total, 2,238 examples would be built in various guises. One of the rarest of all body designs built over the course of the production run would be number 7410, the Drophead Coupe.

In all, just eleven examples of the Drophead Coupe would be built for the Silver Cloud I chassis. What would make this example so rare was the fact it would come with left-hand drive and with an aluminum body instead of the steel. Chassis LSFE 451 would be one of those chassis that would bear upon itself one of the eleven designs.

The chassis would be even more extraordinary. Between 1955 and 1965 just about 200 examples would feature coachbuilt bodies. This would be one of them. Produced by H.J. Mulliner, design 7410 was considered one of the prime designs of the time.

This car was actually part of a pair ordered by music publishers, Chappell & Co. They were presented as gifts to Broadway composers Lerner and Loewe, who would be remembered for the score for My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Paint Your Wagon, Gigi, Camelot and a number of others. Loewe would retire and would move to California in the early 1970s, coming with him would be LSFE 451.

In 1977, after some twenty years, Loewe would sell the Drophead Coupe to its second owner. Some time later, the car would change hands again, ending up in the hands of Jim Toole. Toole was a Rolls-Royce and Bentley enthusiast extraordinaire. Detailed and determined, Toole would take to restoring the car by himself.

Proving his talent and eye for detail, Toole would present the Rolls-Royce at a number of events and would often come away victorious. In 1983, the car would achieve the H.J. Mulliner Park Ward Trophy at the Rolls-Royce Owners' Club meeting in San Diego. Then, in 1991, the car would receive a First Place Senior Trophy at the Monterey National Meet. That same year, and at the very same event, the car would achieve the Guerrero Award given for Best Personal Restoration.

The timeless elegance of the car, and its numerous awards, would lead to the car being featured in a numerous forms of literature. The car could be found in Lawrence Dalton's effort Rolls-Royce: The Elegance Continues, as well as, in The Flying Lady.

Purchased from Toole, the new owner has maintained the car's form and look. Detailed, still bearing three pieces of original monogrammed luggage, its Continental Touring Kit and coming complete with original build sheets and historical file, the 1958 Silver Cloud I Drophead Coupe remains drop-dead gorgeous.

Offered as part of Gooding & Company's 2015 Arizona auction, the Drophead Coupe would draw initial estimates ranging from between $500,000 and $700,000. The final sale price would be $550,000.

By Jeremy McMullen

Provenance *
* Please note, dates are approximate

2022 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach

Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $500,000-USD $575,000 
Sale Price :
USD $489,000

2015 Gooding & Company - Arizona

Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $500,000-USD $700,000 
Sale Price :
USD $550,000

2011 Gooding and Company - Pebble Beach Auctions

Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $400,000-USD $550,000 
Sale Price :
USD $451,000

1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Auction Sales

Recent Sales of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I

(Data based on Model Year 1958 sales)
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I
Chassis#: LSHF211
Sold for USD$51,636
  2023 Artcurial : Retromobile
 
1958 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER CLOUD I DROPHEAD COUPE
Chassis#: LSFE 451
Sold for USD$489,000
  2022 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud LWB par Henri Chapron Ex-Brigitte Bardot
Chassis#: LBLC22
Sold for USD$144,817
  2022 Artcurial : Retromobile
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Sedanca Coupe by James Young
Chassis#: LSFE99
Sold for USD$280,000
  2018 RM Sothebys : Monterey
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud S1
Chassis#: LSHF45
Sold for USD$59,232
  2018 Artcurial : Automobiles sur les Champs
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Drophead Coupe 'Honeymoon Express' by Freestone & Webb
Chassis#: SGE270
Sold for USD$1,347,500
  2017 RM Auctions : Amelia Island
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I
Sold for USD$26,410
  2016 Silverstone Auction - Restoration Show Sale
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I
Chassis#: SGE180
Sold for USD$10,000
  2015 Historics at Brookland
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Drophead Coupe
Chassis#: LSFE 451
Sold for USD$550,000
  2015 Gooding & Company - Arizona
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Long Wheelbase Sedan with Division Coachwork by Park Ward, Ltd.
Chassis#: LBLC4
Sold for USD$42,900
  2014 Greenwich Concours D'Elegance Auction
 
1958 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud I
Sold for USD$23,531
  2014 Anglia Auction - Southern Ireland
 
1958 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER CLOUD 4 DOOR SEDAN
Chassis#: SGE424
Sold for USD$110,000
  2014 Barrett-Jackson : Palm Beach
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Saloon
Chassis#: LSED321
Sold for USD$60,500
  2014 RM Auctions - Amelia Island
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I 4.9L, Automatic
Sold for USD$15,500
  2013 Mecum Auction - Chicago
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I
Sold for USD$15,500
  2013 Mecum : Schaumburg
 
1958 ROLLS ROYCE SILVER CLOUD I
Sold for USD$24,938
  2013 McCormick's Auction 54 - Palm Springs
 
1958 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud
Sold for USD$11,250
  2013 Silver Auction - Ft McDowell, Arizona
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
Sold for USD$15,000
  2012 Mecum - St Charles, Il
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I 'Empress' LWB Saloon by Hooper
Chassis#: ALC11
Sold for USD$72,347
  2012 RM Auctions at Monaco
 
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I 'Honeymoon Express' Two-Seater Drophead Coupé by Freestone & Webb
Chassis#: SGE270
Sold for USD$917,253
  2012 RM Auctions at Monaco
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I image  

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Is That Failed To Sell At Auction

1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
VehicleChassisEventHigh BidEst. LowEst. High
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud SaloonSHF1492016 Bonhams : The Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale $70,000$90,000
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Saloon 2016 Auctions America : Fort Lauderdale$31,000  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud LWBBLC192015 H & H RREC Burghley House   
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Saloon 2015 Auctions America Fort Lauderdale$2,500  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud LWBBLC192014 H&H Auctions : RREC Rockingham Castle   
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I 2013 Auctions America Fall Carlisle$17,500  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Long Wheelbase Sedan with DivisionLBLC42012 Bonhams Preserving the Automobile: An Auction at the Simeone Foundation $75,000$100,000
1958 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 1 2011 Silver Auction Sun Valley$10,000  
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud SaloonSHF1432011 Bonhams RAF Museum, Hendon, Collectors' Motor Cars and Automobilia $22,000$25,000
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Drophead CoupéSGE4822009 Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed $210,000$260,000

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1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I

Additional valuation insight and sales data
History
Specifications
Image gallery
Other Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I model years

1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Vehicle Profiles

1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I vehicle information
Sedanca Coupe
Coachwork: James Young
Chassis #: LSFE99
Engine #: SE49
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I vehicle information
Countryman Saloon
Coachwork: Harold Radford
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I vehicle information
Coupe
Coachwork: James Young
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I vehicle information
Saloon
Chassis #: LSED321
Engine #: SD385
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I vehicle information
Drophead Coupe
Coachwork: Mulliner
Chassis #: LSFE 451
Engine #: SE 225
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I vehicle information
Drophead Coupé
Coachwork: Freestone & Webb
Chassis #: SGE270
Engine #: SCI385