☰
conceptcarz.com
✕

1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn

The Silver Dawn was produced from 1949 thru 1955, for a total of 761 units. There were 110 produced in 1951. It was the first series built for export only and available only with left-hand steering.

1951 was the first year for the 4,566 cc liter engine. This became known as the 'Big Bore - Small Boot'. The F-head six-cylinder unit had a cast-iron block, aluminum head, seven main bearings, solid valve lifters, a Stromberg carburetor, 6.4:1 compression, and produced approximately 150 horsepower. It was paired with a four-speed column lever-shifted (manual) transmission with a floor shift option available. It had a wheelbase of 120 inches, a length of nearly 200 inches, and weighed around 4,000 lbs.

Coachwork included a factory-bodied four-door saloon and a Park Ward-built drophead coupe.

The launch of the Silver Dawn in 1949 confirmed the public's acceptance and demand for the standard steel body, as only a few were fitted with specialized coachwork.

After the war Rolls-Royce decided that if increasing volume was their main objective, then the manufacture of complete motor cars was required. This meant designing a pressed steel body and modernizing some of their production methods.

The company was initially cautious. It didn't know what the public reaction would be to the first non-coachbuilt cars, but they were well received and demand for the Silver Dawn was strong, especially in America to where the first cars were exported. These cars had the straight six 4,257cc engine.

A new market emerged at home too with the Silver Dawn becoming available in the UK in 1953, by which time it had the bigger bore 4,566cc engine, automatic transmission availability and big boot coachwork.

The 'Autocar' described the Silver Dawn as an 'expensive car designed for the connoisseur who requires an all-round excellence second to none and is prepared to pay for the best that money can buy in quality of manufacture and finish'.

by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd.

by Rolls-Royce