Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud

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Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
Production period: 1955-1966
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Sedan , coupe , convertible
Previous model: Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn
Successor: Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (dt .: Silver Cloud ) is the car, the Rolls-Royce produced from April 1955 to March 1966 in series. It was the successor to the Silver Dawn and was replaced by the Silver Shadow in 1966 .

The streamlining of the model series at Rolls-Royce / Bentley meant that the Bentley S1 can only be distinguished from the Silver Cloud by the radiator grille.

The design differed significantly from the Rolls-Royce of the prewar years and was essentially a further development of the predecessor Silver Dawn; it was largely in the hands of JP Blatchley.

Silver Cloud I

Silver Cloud I
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (1959)

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (1959)
Production period: 1955-1959
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
4.9 liters (114 kW)
Length: 5385-5486 mm
Width: 1899 mm
Height: 1626 mm
Wheelbase : 3124-3225 mm
Empty weight : 1699-1812 kg

The frame consisted of a simple, welded rectangular tube construction and was very rigid. As usual with Rolls-Royce, it was separated from the body, which made it possible to construct special bodies. Most of the cars had the factory body made by Pressed Steel with doors, bonnet and trunk lid made of lightweight aluminum. Rolls-Royce did not have self-supporting structures until 1965 with the appearance of the Silver Shadow. The car was 5385 mm long, 1899 mm wide and 1950 kg. The controlled against ( Inlet over Exhaust ) in-line six cylinder engine in the cylinder head had hanging intake valves and exhaust valves and provided laterally at 4.9 liters capacity and with two SU-balanced pressure carburetors 155 bhp (114 kW) at 4000 min -1 . A four-speed automatic transmission was connected to it. The drum brakes were hydraulically operated on all four wheels and had a mechanical brake booster ( Hispano-Suiza system ). While the front wheels were individually suspended from double wishbones with coil springs, the driven rigid axle at the rear was suspended from semi-elliptical longitudinal leaf springs. From 1956 there was also power steering and air conditioning on request .

A version with a wheelbase longer by 101 mm (LWB = Long Wheelbase) was available from September 1957, which looked confusingly similar to the car delivered up to then, but offered more foot space for the rear seat passengers. In many cases, this model was delivered with a partition (partition) with a fully retractable partition, but the partition used up a large part of the additional foot space created by the extension. The elongated car could be recognized from the side by the slightly larger rear side window, which (in contrast to the normal model with a short wheelbase) did not open with the door.

The models Silver Cloud I + II can hardly be distinguished from the outside. The Silver Cloud III is easiest to recognize by the double headlights and the indicators integrated into the front, which were on top of the fenders of the SC I + II.

The British magazine The Motor tested a Silver Cloud I with a short wheelbase and factory body in 1956 and registered a top speed of 166 km / h and an acceleration of 0-100 km / h in 13.5 s. The test car's gasoline consumption was 19.5 l / 100 km and its price was £ 5,078 including VAT.

Silver Cloud II

Silver Cloud II
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
Production period: 1959-1962
Body versions : Sedan , coupe , convertible
Engines: Otto engine :
6.2 liters
Length: 5410-5511 mm
Width: 1899 mm
Height: 1626 mm
Wheelbase : 3124-3225 mm
Empty weight : 1801-1914 kg

The Silver Cloud II was introduced in 1959. On the outside, there were hardly any differences to the predecessor, but the car had a 6.2-liter V8 engine that increased the curb weight to 2.1 t. The engine power had increased significantly and the car reached a top speed of 183 km / h. The most important improvements were the better acceleration and the higher torque. The power steering was now installed as standard. There were electric windows on request.

The British magazine The Motor tested a Silver Cloud II in 1960 and registered a top speed of 169 km / h and an acceleration of 0-100 km / h in 10.9 s. The test car's gasoline consumption was 22.0 l / 100 km and its price was £ 6,092 including VAT.

Silver Cloud III

Silver Cloud III
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (YOC 1964)

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (YOC 1964)
Production period: 1963-1966
Body versions : Sedan , coupe , convertible
Engines: Otto engine :
6.2 liters
Length: 5372-5473 mm
Width: 1880 mm
Height:
Wheelbase : 3124-3225 mm
Empty weight : 1767-1880 kg

The Silver Cloud III appeared in 1963. The external dimensions were slightly changed, the interior redesigned and the weight reduced by almost 100 kg. Improvements to the engine included 2 ″ SU carburetors in place of the old 1 ¾ ″ Series II carburetors. The compression ratio of the engine increased to 9.0: 1 as the higher octane gasoline in most markets around the world allowed it. As with the previous model, Rolls-Royce refused to give the exact engine power, but said that the new model would have “perhaps 7% more power”. This higher engine power and the lower weight ensured slightly better driving performance. The drum brakes, however, were held on. The Silver Cloud III had twin headlights that looked very similar to those of the later Silver Shadow . Rolls-Royce documents mention that the four-eye face was introduced to prepare customers for the completely new Silver Shadow or to keep the last Cloud series from looking too old compared to the new car.

Despite criticism of the cautious changes, the Silver Cloud III sold so well that extra shifts had to be run to process all orders. Production of the Standard Steel Saloon therefore ended as planned in 1965, but the last special versions were not completed until 1966.

A variant of the Silver Cloud III is a four-seater, unofficially known as the "Chinese Eye". Its design is a further development of the convertible that the Norwegian Vilhelm Koren originally designed for the Bentley S2 Continental and that was manufactured by the in-house bodybuilder Park Ward . Rolls-Royce acquired the coachbuilder HJ Mulliner & Co. in 1961 and merged it with Park Ward (which had been part of Rolls-Royce since 1939). This resulted in HJ Mulliner, Park Ward Inc. (MPW). In addition to the revised Koren design, there was also a fixed head coupe (coupé) with a sharply cut roof line. In order to better utilize the MPW systems in Willesden, a Rolls-Royce variant was launched for the first time. Unlike the Bentley counterpart with the Continental engine, this one did not receive any increase in performance. The offset double headlights that gave this variant its nickname were also given to the corresponding S3 Continental. The coupé version in particular anticipates many details of the later Silver Shadow.

Only 100 of this model were made, including the convertible that Peter Sellers owned for four years and another that belonged to Lucille Ball , among others . A blue cabriolet version was also driven by the lead actor in the 1966 British film Blow Up .

gallery

  • Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Limousine James Young (1963)

  • Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III (1964)

  • Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III "Chinese Eye" with body by Mulliner Park Ward (1964)

  • Mulliner Park Ward bodywork Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III

  • Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Coupé (USA, 1964)

  • Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III (1964)

Production numbers

  • Silver Cloud I: 2238
  • Silver Cloud I with long wheelbase: 85
  • Silver Cloud I with special structures: 121
  • Silver Cloud II: 2417
  • Long wheelbase Silver Cloud II: 258
  • Silver Cloud II with special structures: 107
  • Sliver Cloud III: 2044
  • Long Wheelbase Silver Cloud III: 206
  • Silver Cloud III with special structures: 328

Web links

Commons : Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud  - collection of images, videos and audio files

source

Culshaw, David & Horrobin, Peter: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975 , Veloce Publishing plc., Dorchester (1997), ISBN 1-874105-93-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud , The Motor (January 18, 1956)
  2. ↑ a b c d e Smith, Maurice A. (editor): Used Cars on Test: Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud , Autocar, issue 126 nbr 3707 (March 2, 1967), p. 66
  3. ↑ a b c d e The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II , The Motor (May 18, 1960)
  4. ↑ a b c rrab.com: Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III (1962-1965, 1962-1966 special bodies)