1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud in Carmel, California

Chassis No. LSWC596
Engine No. 298CS

Among the most elegant postwar bodies created for Rolls-Royce was the Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupe by H.J. Mulliner, design number 7504. Introduced late in Silver Cloud I production, the car was known within the coachbuilder's catalog as an "Adaptation." It was built by modifying a factory standard steel saloon body into a drophead coupe. The transformation involved removing the steel roof, fitting two doors in place of the standard four, and adding a subtly modified chromed waistline molding. Mulliner's alterations were so extensive that the finished car amounted to a fully custom body rather than a simple conversion.

This beautiful example was delivered new in March 1961 to Martin F. Malarkey Jr. of Washington, D.C. Malarkey was a co-founder of the National Cable Television Association and served as the trade group's president for five years. He later built one of the industry's leading consulting firms, Malarkey-Taylor Associates. The car was finished in a striking two-tone livery of Sand Beige and Sable, with Beige hides, Fawn headcloth, and Fawn carpet. It was built to U.S.A. specification, equipped with electric windows, plain Sundym glass, a heavy gauge frame, and Dunlop Buffalo white sidewall tubeless tires.

Following its time with Mr. Malarkey, the car passed through subsequent ownership in Massachusetts, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. In December 1985 it entered the collection of Noel Thompson of New Vernon, New Jersey. Thompson was a prominent figure in New Jersey investment banking and real estate, serving as president of New Jersey Realty Co. and chairman of New Jersey Realty Title Co. He was widely known for assembling one of the country's most distinguished private collections of classic cars, carousel animals, model trains, and folk art. His cars were regularly invited to the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach and in Europe.

In 1999 the Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupe entered the collection of Ruth Buzzi and Kent Perkins. Buzzi was the Golden Globe-winning comedienne best remembered for her long-running role on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Perkins, her husband, was an actor and producer. Together they were dedicated collectors of postwar English motorcars, with a particular focus on Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Jaguar. Shortly after acquiring the car, the Perkinses had it refinished by Vantage Motorworks in Black with a Black Everflex top, with the Wilton wool carpeting replaced, and the wood trim refinished. The car was subsequently shown in the Petersen Automotive Museum's exhibition Rolls-Royce: A Century of Elegance in 2003, highlighting 100 years of Rolls-Royce heritage. Later, in 2004, it was shown at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, where it received an Amelia Award in the 1948-1974 class. Under the current owner's care since 2017, the car was shown in 2018 at the Rolls-Royce Owners' Club meet in Santa Anita, California, where it won both Best in Show and People's Choice, and enjoyed in great style at local Southern California events. The rare, factory left-hand-drive Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe is accompanied by comprehensive Rolls-Royce factory and Owners' Club records, a jack, and is equipped with a period air conditioning system and 'His Master's Voice' radio.

Few Silver Clouds can claim a provenance woven so richly through American public life, spanning cable television's founding era through more recent Hollywood history. Combined with its exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum and its Amelia Island honors, this Mulliner-bodied drophead coupe presents a compelling opportunity to acquire a truly splendid example of a Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupe.