Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely stunning and
extraordinarily well presented 1965 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III
LHD Drophead Coupe conversion recently fully restored with no
expense spared in a striking' Burgundy' color repaint with a
stunning all new 'Tan' Connolly leather interior with Dark piping
with beautifully refinished wood amp; gauges and equipped with
factory power windows, rear folding picnic tables, original sales
amp; delivery documents, handbooks, very rare copies of original RR
build sheets, a matching leather boot cover, spare wheel amp; heavy
tools amp; small toolbox. Unique opportunity for Rolls
collector/enthusiast to purchase a superbly built and recently
restored and converted Left Hand Drive example that both looks and
drives as good as a new car! 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, such as this very fine example, 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. Nevertheless with prices of one of the
original 27 soaring in recent years, to in some cases well over $1M
for fully restored examples, and with few, if any, in anywhere as
close to as good cosmetic or mechanical condition as this
particular well converted example; this is a very rare opportunity
to own a very prestigious and turn key ready and absolutely
immaculate example of a last year 1965 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III
Drop Head Coupe at a cost that falls far short of what it would
ever cost to build!The Bentley S3 and the Silver Cloud III were
absolutely identical cars 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
is an absolutely stunning and exceptionally well converted example
in truly remarkable condition both mechanically and cosmetically
and a fabulous last year example of the legendary Silver Cloud III
with an exclusive book documenting the restoration and conversion.
This car has been maintained in recent years by its fastidious and
proud owner at the renown independent Rolls Royce amp; Bentley
specialists 'Scott Motors' of Los Angeles, California where the car
has received recent maintenance and indeed a recent full service
for a clean bill of health for it's new owner. The car is a
completely rust and accident free example with the floor boards,
rockers, trunk and all the typical rust-prone areas completely
solid and rust free!The beautiful and highly striking color of
'Burgundy' exterior paint is exceptionally well done and
extraordinarily striking! The car has matching Rolls Royce hubcaps
and as previously stated a completely restored 'Connolly' leather
interior with new hides and carpeting and stunningly refinished
wood and gauges. 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
new and outstanding. The power soft top is factory correct and also
matches the paint.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 handbuilt 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 III Drophead conversion will always
prove to be a desirable Cloud internationally with the all aluminum
6.2L V8 engine and the quad head lights. With only some 2,044
Silver Cloud III's built in total, obviously very few remain or are
available for either conversions or sale at any time, and you will
surely look long and hard to find another such stunning and well
sorted conversion like this again.So buy with confidence, this will
no doubt prove a fabulous investment for the astute investor, Rolls
Royce enthusiast or British Classic Car Collector or simply prove a
worthy addition to any serious collection.