Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptionally rare long
term owner example of this 1959 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud I 4.9L 6
cyl 4 door LHD saloon, with only 2,238 of these hand built Cloud I
cars ever built and with only very few remaining! This particular
example is finished in striking 'Masons Black' factory color paint
with Red Connolly hides and which boasts its original Mohair
headliner and wood dashboard.This particular example boasts its
original spare wheel and tire and electric inspection lamp and
charging plug, pressure gauge and tire pump and and it will be sold
with a thick file of service history and records from it's previous
ownership. The car drives phenomenally well and is a testament to
how these extraordinary cars are capable of driving, an absolute
pleasure to drive with the ultimate in both grace and power.The car
is an original Left Hand Drive car built for export and which was
imported to the United States in December 1958 to it's original
owners. It is an obviously always garaged car since new with the
car still believed to retain most of its original leather interior
and factory wrapped leather rear leaf springs and has a superb
mostly all original patina with only very little signs of wear. The
car remains mostly original throughout including its original
'Smiths' radio, African burled walnut wood, and the original
weather stripping and seals and rubbers etc are all in very good
shape throughout the car considering their age. An obviously always
cherished and garaged example with no accidents and with the floor
boards, trunk and all the typical rust-prone areas seemingly all
rust free!The car has a beautiful and highly desirable color
combination of 'Masons Black' exterior paint with matching Rolls
Royce hubcaps and it's original 'Connolly' leather interior,
Connolly hides were exclusively used in Rolls Royce's and Bentley's
and came from unfenced cows which produced virtually unblemished
hides. All the chrome work including the front Rolls Royce grille
and bumpers are in outstanding condition and 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 equipment still located in their
rightful place of storage in the trunk compartment.For those who
are unfamiliar, the Bentley 'S' series and the Rolls Royce Silver
Cloud series were absolutely identical, with both vehicles hand
built at the Rolls Royce factory in Crewe, England from 1955-66,
with the only differences being their nameplates, radiator and
mascots. The Silver Cloud models were introduced in 1955 with a
superbly crafted 'Rubenesque' body shell with the traditional Rolls
Royce imposing high grille and headlights whilst hinting at the
separate fenders seen on the previous coachbuilt models. The all
new body was steel with a simple very rigid steel box section
welded together with lightweight aluminum panels for the doors,
hood and trunk lid. Equipped with a now legendary inline six
cylinder engine, four speed automatic transmission, hydraulic
brakes with twin brake master cylinders and independent front
suspension, the car could reach 60mph in 13.5 seconds and had a top
speed of over 100mph. This 6 cylinder engine was ultimately
considered both smoother and possibly more durable than the later
V8 that followed it whilst being both quieter and easier to
maintain and today is recognized as a virtually bullet proof engine
built by the world's finest mechanical engineers. It remains the
quintessential Rolls Royce with enough power to be used on modern
roads with a degree of style that only this marque could offer.
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 I, one of the most desired of the
Silver Clouds by enthusiasts with the virtually bullet proof all
aluminum 4.9L 6 cylinder 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 I 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 2,238 Silver Cloud I's built and very few
remaining or available for sale you will surely look long and hard
to find another in such fine condition.So buy with confidence, with
Silver Cloud drophead coupe convertibles now selling in excess of
$500K, this will no doubt prove a fabulous investment for the
astute investor, Rolls Royce enthusiast or British Classic Car
Collector or simply a great example of a fully turn key ready
example mechanically to cosmetically restore fully or to simply
just enjoy and drive for the discerning luxury classic car owner!