Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present a very striking example of
this original 1963 Bentley S3 which was professionally converted to
replicate a Silver Cloud III with a Rolls Royce grille and hubcaps.
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. In the 1970's a few
Bentley S3's were imported from England to the U.S. and at great
expense converted with the Silver Cloud III radiator, mascot and
nameplates as the Bentley was not as appreciated or as coveted as
it's identical cousin the Rolls Royce! The Bentley S2 and the Rolls
Royce Silver Cloud II were introduced in 1959 and lasted until
1962. Little changed externally from the Bentley S1 and Rolls Royce
Silver Cloud I of of 1956-59 but they now had a much improved 6.2 L
V8 engine, which pushed the weight to 2.11 tonnes. The Bentley S3
and 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 particular original RHD (Right Hand Drive) model
was reportedly imported to the U.S. from England in the late
seventies to only it's second owner who lived in southern
California and whose family has owned the car ever since. The car
shows an odometer reading of 119,348 miles which is believed and
reported to be original and the car boasts it's virtually all
original Connolly leather and wood interior and most importantly
has a full and long history of comprehensive service records from
local southern California independent Rolls Royce amp; Bentley
specialists and a recent full service after we purchased it at the
renown 'Independent Rolls Royce Service' shop of North Hollywood,
CA. The car is rust free with the floor boards, trunk and all the
typical rust-prone areas solid and rust free! This particular
example was imported to the U.S. in the seventies and converted to
the Silver Cloud III specifications and is presented in two tone
'Silver Sand over Chestnut Brown' exterior paint with a Tan
Connolly leather interior with Dark Brown piping , matching
original carpets and boasts its original mohair headliner and
obviously was always garaged with no signs of any accidents and is
a completely rust free example with the floor boards, trunk and all
the typical rust-prone areas completely solid and rust free! The
beautiful color combination of the cars 'Silver Sand over Chestnut
Brown' two-tone exterior paint with hand painted pin stripes is
very striking and the car has it's original Tan with Dark Brown
piping 'Connolly' leather interior, which was exclusively used in
Rolls Royce and Bentley's and came from unfenced cows which
produced unblemished hides and the interior's wood, carpets, door
panels, dashboard and mohair headliner are all in very presentable
condition throughout. Please note that there are some minor signs
of wear in the original leather in some areas. All the chrome work
including the front Rolls Royce grille and the front and rear
bumpers is very good and the car has it's original spare wheel
still located in it's rightful place of storage in the trunk
compartment. Please note that the car has a 'Nardi' wooden steering
wheel installed and an after market stereo and alarm system. An
obviously always garaged example with no indications of any
accidents or damage history and owned since the late 70's by one
very careful owner/driver - never abused! The car has many new
components and service records showing many, many thousands of
dollars spent in preventive maintenance over the years including
very extensive recent service history too and consequently the car
drives very well. The engine is extremely strong and the
transmission is very smooth with Rolls Royce's legendary almost
imperceptible shift and the engine temperature always remains cool.
The car has four virtually new tires and boasts an updated R134a
freon air conditioning system. 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 - along with it's tall grill and tall
flying lady the Silver Cloud III is a moving work of art and 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. It is becoming increasingly hard to find such unabused
and rust free examples as these models become thinner and thinner
on the ground with only some 2,044 Silver Cloud III's built.