Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely exceptional
and rare example of this 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II V8 4 door
saloon, with an even rarer Left Hand Drive (LHD) US import
configuration body with only 2,417 of these hand built cars ever
built and with only very few remaining! This particular example is
finished in its striking original 'Shell Gray over Masons Black'
factory color paint with 'Red' Connolly hides showing superb patina
and obvious careful maintenance and care from its long time
owner.This particular original U.S specification example (Left Hand
Drive Model) was imported to the U.S. from England with the car
factory ordered and optioned with:Cash Price of Car: approximately
$15,655Electric Windows $220'Sundym' Glass: $45Electric AntennaAir
Conditioning $795For those who are unfamiliar, the Bentley S2 and
the Silver Cloud II 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 II was introduced in 1959 and lasted until 1962.
Little changed externally from the Silver Cloud I of of 1956-59 but
it now had a much improved 6.2 L V8 engine, which pushed the weight
to 2.11 tonnes. Performance was greatly improved and top speed was
raised to 183 km/h (114 mph) yet the main improvements were in
acceleration and torque. Power steering became standard.
Electrically operated windows were now available as an option which
this particular example has as well as air conditioning and tinted
glass! The car also boasts its original owners handbook, spare
wheel and tire and electric inspection lamp and charging plug,
pressure gauge and tire pump!This particular example boasts rare
long time ownership with a thick file of full documentation showing
that at no time was any expense spared on this particular vehicle's
preventive maintenance and a car which has obviously always been
garaged originally at the owner's Old Bridge, NJ home, and from the
1970's, his La Jolla, CA home and which is finished in it's very
striking original 'Shell Gray over Masons Black' two-tone color
combination with its rare all original Connolly leather interior
with a superb patina and very little signs of wear. The car boasts
its beautiful all original African burled walnut wood and is an
obviously always cherished and garaged example with no accidents
and a southern California car for many years with the floor boards,
trunk and all the typical rust-prone areas all rust free!The
beautiful and highly desirable color combination of this car's
original 'Shell Gray over Masons Black' exterior paint with
matching Rolls Royce hubcaps is very striking and the all original
full 'Connolly' Red leather interior (Connolly leather being used
in Rolls Royce's and Bentley's came from unfenced cows which
produced unblemished hides) is in excellent condition throughout
with only very minor imperfections only noticeable upon very close
inspection; there is some light wear in the leather upholstery
which we chose to leave unblemished rather than dye over as we feel
it respects the cars age nicely. All the chrome work including the
front Rolls Royce grille and bumpers is absolutely outstanding with
only one very small parking lot dent in the rear bumper. The door
panels, dashboard and original mohair headliner remarkably show
only very minimal signs of any wear. The car has it's original
spare wheel with original jack and factory heavy tools equipment
still located in their rightful place of storage in the trunk
compartment.Obviously always garaged with no accidents or damage
history and owned by only one obviously very careful and meticulous
owner for well over fifty years - never abused! The car drives very
well with the original 6.2L V8 engine being extremely strong and
with the car drives as straight as an arrow with no strange road
wobbles, shakes or rattles and it is a truly remarkable and
responsive daily driver! The car has rear mounted air conditioning,
power steering, power windows, power brakes, adjustable ride
control, Lucas fog lights, electric window defogger, twin picnic
tables and a mohair headliner.For those who are unfamiliar, Rolls
Royce no longer exists as it had for over one hundred years - this
is one of the last in the original line of cars built in the
legendary Rolls Royce factory in Crewe, England with a quality and
craftsmanship that far surpasses that of today's mass produced
models with many BMW parts - this is a rare opportunity to own a
piece of automobile history, from a time when Rolls Royce was truly
building the world's finest motor cars. This increasingly desirable
and collectible Silver Cloud II, one of the most desired of the
Silver Clouds by enthusiasts with the all aluminum 6.2L V8 engine
and the single head lights - which of note, Rolls Royce purists
were appalled with at the time when the later Silver Cloud III's
transformation with the dubious redesigned front-end lower hood and
radiator with quad front headlamps mounted in oval nacelles -
considered a shocking violation of RR tradition - one magazine went
so far as to refer to the quad lights as the equivalent to
installing a jukebox in Winchester cathedral!Along with it's tall
grill and tall flying lady the Silver Cloud II is an absolute
moving work of art from a time when Rolls-Royce and Bentley were
arguably building the "Best Cars in the World" at the time of it's
production; the craftsmanship and quality of these cars obviously
speak for themselves and it is becoming increasingly hard to find
any examples at all, let alone any such unabused and rust free
examples - with only some 2,417 Silver Cloud II's built and very
few remaining or available for sale, especially LHD US built
versions, you will surely look long and hard to find another in
such fine condition. So bid with confidence, with Silver Cloud II
drophead coupe convertibles now selling in excess of $1M, this will
no doubt prove a fabulous investment for the astute discerning
luxury classic car investor, Rolls Royce enthusiast or British
Classic Car Collector!