Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely stunning and
extraordinarily rare and all original apart from one repaint 1963
Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupe factory LHD amp;
coachbuilt by H.J. Mulliner - Very rare Original southern
California 'Black License Plate ' car and very collectible LHD
model with factory coachwork by H.J Mulliner - 1 of only 27 ever
built - Burgundy with all original Tan Connolly leather interior -
32K original miles amp; equipped with factory power windows amp;
original air conditioning equipment amp; rare altimeter amp;
dashboard mounted tachometer replacing the left side cubby box,
original radio, rear folding picnic tables, white wall tires and
rare 'Kneeling Lady' mascot - the car had one southern California
owner from 1968-2010 - original sales amp; delivery documents,
handbooks, boot cover, lambswool rugs, spare wheel amp; heavy tools
amp; small toolbox. Unique opportunity for Rolls
collector/enthusiast to purchase not only 1 of the 27 factory LHD
true coachbuilt H.J. Mulliner cars but also a superbly original and
unrestored car that still drives as good as when new and boasting
only 32K original miles! This is an absolutely stunning and
exceptionally rare example of this completely unrestored, apart
from one repaint, and truly remarkable condition both mechanically
and cosmetically, 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III V8 Drophead
Coupe by Mulliner, only 27 of these original left hand drive
coachbuilt cars were ever built by H.J Mulliner of Willesden,
London with very few of these cars now known to still exist today.
These completely hand built cars real left hand drive factory
Mulliner's are not to be confused with one of the RHD Silver Cloud
non-factory or later Silver Cloud conversions by a multitude of
entities!The third and final Silver Cloud was introduced in 1962
and a precious few of these cars were chosen by Rolls to be taken
from the standard steel production line and sent to the renown
Rolls Royce appointed coachworks of H.J Mulliner of Willesden,
London to be adapted by hand into drophead coupes. These were to be
the iconic 27 Mulliner Drophead coupes, by far the most expensive
and exclusive car of it's day. In the years to come, seeing the
desirability and demand of these few Mulliner's, other
coachbuilders were to try and emulate what Mulliner had originally
achieved with the Silver Cloud, but as any enthusiast will attest,
although there are some very fine Silver Cloud non-factory
conversions out there, none of these will ever prove as desirable
as an original Mulliner and all fall short of these original 27
cars in terms of prestige and historic importance.This particular
example was owned by it's long time southern California owner from
1968-2010 and is an original 'Black Plate' California car since
new. It was purchased by it' second owner on 6/3/1968 from 'Peter
Satori Co Ltd' of Pasadena, CA with documentation available and
owned until sold by his estate to only it's third southern
California owner in 2010 and it was serviced and maintained
throughout the years at the renown independent Rolls Royce
specialists 'Vanderploeg Motors' and 'Scott Motors' of West Los
Angeles.It has rare options of the altimeter and tachometer, air
conditioning, 'Sundym' reflective tinted glass, White sided
tubeless tires, power brakes and power windows. Finished in an
exceptionally striking color of 'Burgundy' with an all original
'Tan' color Connolly hides interior showing suberb patina. How
often can you hope to find an all original leather interior like
this, with seats that are truly still as comfortable as the day
they were new, firm and supportive with the right amount of honest
patina, never dyed or repaired. The carpeting has always been
covered and preserved by the car's original lambswool rugs and the
car's original convertible top and mohair headliner show superb
maintenance and care from its two long time owners. Please note
that although available with the car the original boot or tonneau
cover for the top when lowered has shrunk over the years due to
lack of use and will no longer fit the car, a testament to the fact
that the top was most likely rarely down which would also attest to
the car's phenomenally well preserved original wood and leather
interior.For those who are unfamiliar, the Bentley S3 and the
Silver Cloud III were absolutely identical with both vehicles hand
built at the Rolls Royce factory in Crewe, England with the only
differences being their nameplates, radiator and mascots. The
Silver Cloud III was introduced in 1962 and lasted until 1965.
Little changed externally from the Silver Cloud II with the same
improved 6.2 L V8 Series II engine from the original Series I but
performance was greatly improved though in the new upgraded Series
III models with the top speed raised to 183 km/h (114 mph), with
the main improvements being in acceleration and torque and the
inclusion of larger SU carburetors. Separate front seats now
replaced the bench seat and there was more legroom in the rear.
Power steering had already become standard with the Series II but
electrically operated windows and air conditioning were now
available as an option.In autumn 1962 the Series II production cars
were given a facelift and the Silver Cloud III and Bentley S3 were
introduced. The most obvious visual feature was the twin headlamp
arrangement in what was virtually an unchanged body style. Four
headlamps provided more illumination and made it easier for
Rolls-Royce to pass the latest North American lighting regulations.
Also this layout had been chosen for the next generation Silver
Shadow and this provided a convenient way of bridging the visual
gap between the old and the new. The side lamps and flashers were
combined and mounted in the noses of the front mudguards: the
earlier cars had separate side lamps on the top of the mudguards
and used the fog lamps also as flashers. Internally, individual
front seats became standard and there was some reshaping of the
rear seats. The heating/ ventilation system was upgraded, there
were extra radio controls and a number of other such details were
improved. The engine had a new compression ratio of 9.0:1; the
crankshaft was hardened and there was extra power assistance for
the steering.This car boasts it's all original Connolly leather and
wood interior and has many surprisingly still all original
components including its original leather wrapped rear leaf
springs, small tool box and spare wheel with all it's original
heavy tools; inspection lamp, spare wheel inflation trap amp;
clamp, tire pump, wheel brace amp; jack, still unused and in their
rightful place in the trunk. The car has been maintained in recent
years at the renown independent Rolls Royce amp; Bentley
specialists 'Independent Rolls Royce' of Beverly Hills, California
where the car received a recent full service and this long time
southern California family owned and cherished and always garaged
car has had no accidents and is a completely rust free example -
the floor boards, trunk and all the typical rust-prone areas are
completely solid and rust free!The beautiful and highly striking
paint color of 'Burgundy' exterior paint is in exceptional
condition and extraordinarily striking! The car has matching Rolls
Royce hubcaps and as previously stated it's all original 'Connolly'
leather hides and carpeting, lambswool rugs and Mohair headliner
interior. Connolly leather is legendary for being exclusively used
in Rolls Royce and other high end British cars and came from
unfenced cows which produced unblemished hides. All the chrome work
including the front Rolls Royce grille and bumpers is absolutely
outstanding. The burlwood dashboard and the original mohair
headliner remarkably show virt...for more information please
contact the seller.
