Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely stunning and
extraordinarily rare 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead
Coupe factory LHD & coachbuilt by H.J. Mulliner - a very
rare original southern California 'Black License Plate ' car and
the very collectible LHD model with factory coachwork by H.J
Mulliner - 1 of only 27 true Mulliner's ever built!The car will be
sold with its certified factory copies of RR construction and test
records from the factory showing an original sales date of
11/5/1963 for delivery to J.S. Inskip Inc Rolls Royce of New
York..In a striking 'Regal Royal Burgundy' color with all new
reupholstered leather interior - 32K original miles &
equipped with factory power windows & original air
conditioning equipment & rare altimeter & dashboard
mounted tachometer by Mulliner to replace the left side cubby box,
original AM 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 & delivery documents,
handbooks, boot cover, spare wheel & heavy tools &
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 superb southern California car since new
that still drives as good as when new and boasting only 32K
original miles! This is an absolutely stunning and exceptionally
rare example in truly remarkable condition, both mechanically and
cosmetically, a true 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 any of these cars now known to still exist
today. These completely hand built, factory left hand drive
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
or as well built as an original hand built Mulliner, and all fall
short of these original 27 cars in terms of value, 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 only
its 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. It
was serviced and maintained throughout the years at the renown
independent Rolls Royce specialists 'Vanderploeg Motors' and later
at '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 'Regal
Burgundy' with a newly upholstered 'Tan' color Connolly hides
interior. The original seats are truly still as comfortable as the
day they were new, firm and supportive and recently reupholstered.
The carpeting and the car's original convertible top and mohair
headliner have also been restored with no expense spared and the
car show superb maintenance and care from its three long time
owners.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 many surprisingly still all original
components which are a testament to its low mileage and
fastidiously kept and obviously climate controlled storage and
garaging. The features still intact include 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 & clamp, tire pump, wheel brace & 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
& 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 obviously 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 having
always been kept in climate controlled southern California
storage!The beautiful and highly striking paint color of 'Regal
Burgundy' exterior paint is in exceptional condition and
extraordinarily striking with only very minor imperfections only
noticeable upon very close inspection! The car has matching Rolls
Royce hubcaps and as previously stated all new leather hides, top
and carpeting. 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 original burlwood dashboard and the original
mohair headliner have also been restored.Obviously always
garag...for more information please contact the seller.
