1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II

Production of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud began in 1955 at the Crewe facilities and it served as a replacement for the Silver Dawn. It was given an entirely new chassis with an independent front suspension and semi-elliptic rear springs. There were adjustable rear shock absorbers controlled by a switch on the steering column. Hydraulically operated brakes provided the stopping power. Power steering was standard shortly after the model's introduction. The six-cylinder engine found in the Silver Dawn was retained for the Cloud, however capacity rose to 4.9-liters, and power was sent to the rear wheels via a new four-speed automatic transmission originally developed by General Motors and built under license. The styling of the standard steel coachwork was courtesy of John Blatchley and Ivan Evernden. The interior was luxurious and well-appointed, with the finest quality Connolly leather upholstery, timber facia, and door cappings and rear picnic tables.

Rolls-Royce was working on a new engine in the form of a light alloy V8. The new unit, with its 6.2-liter capacity, was smoother and more powerful than the inline-six. When it replaced the six, it would remain in production for the next 40 odd years. No output figures were officially divulged, but estimates put it at around 200 horsepower.

Rolls-Royce had been facing increasing competition, thus the turn towards eight-cylinder power as the 1960s approached. The V8 was the predominant power unit in Rolls-Royce's most important export market - the USA - so the Crewe firm studied the very best designs that America had to offer, particularly those of Cadillac and Chrysler. Introduced in the autumn of 1959, the ROlls-Royce Silver Cloud II and Bentley S2 remained visually indistinguishable from their predecessors and mostly unchanged mechanically other than the changes necessary to accommodate the wider engine. Inside the Rolls-Royce, the ventilation system was improved and both the facia and instrument panel were redesigned. The duo's performance was considerably enhanced by the new 6,230cc aluminum-alloy V8 backed by Rolls-Royce's own four-speed automatic transmission. This gearbox was the only one on offer and power steering was standardized.

During its production lifespan, lasting from 1959 to 1962, Rolls-Royce produced 2,417 examples of the Silver Cloud II (plus 1,268 Bentley S2 versions). Most of the Silver Cloud II wore Standard Steel coachwork, while a small number was given bespoke bodywork from coachbuilders such as H.J. Mulliner. James Young produced 37 coach-built bodies for the Silver Cloud II. 258 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II and 51 Bentley S2 long-wheelbase saloons were made before the introduction of the Silver Cloud III. Harold Radford provided 'Countryman' estate conversions and Park Ward built convertibles. Mulliner also built convertibles, known today as the 'Mulliner Adaptation' Drophead coupes. Conversions often demanded a hefty premium, with Mulliner's convertible being priced around 30% more than the standard Silver Cloud II four-door saloon, which already ranked among the world's most expensive cars. A total of 107 'Mulliner Adaption' cars were built on the Cloud II/S2 standard-wheelbase chassis which accounted for 4-percent of the production of this model.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019