Vehicle Description
1959 Rolls-Royce Hooper Silver Cloud I Empress LWB Two Door Saloon
Coupe, chassis BLC35 and engine C34B. The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
I was built between 1955 and 1959 with a total of 2360 units, of
which 122 were long wheelbase models, which first came available in
1957. There were only 121 short wheelbase chassis that were fitted
with special coach-built bodies and of the long wheelbase versions
only 36 were ever bodied. The Silver Cloud & quot;Empress & quot;
was one of these rare long wheelbase coach models. Eighteen
examples of the Silver Cloud I Empress LWB were made by Hooper and
it is one of the last creations made by the renowned Hooper
Coachbuilding Company before they ceased coach building in 1959.
This is Design # 8546, a Two Door 4 Light Saloon Coupe that is the
only one ever produced by Hooper. It incorporates a long sweeping
line and very pretty and distinctive, swirling spats at the rear.
Rolls-Royce records show that this car was originally purchased by
The Daily Telegraph Newspaper/Lady Camrose, the long-time companion
and eventual wife of John Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose (12
July 1909 15 February 1995). Berry was a British nobleman,
politician, and owner of the Daily Telegraph. It is widely
published that John Seymour Berry s father, William Berry, 1 st
Viscount Camrose was a close personal friend of Winston Churchill,
making it easy to imagine that many of Englands elite upper class
at some point may have ridden in this unique and prestigious
automobile. There is a fascinating link in that Lady Camrose was
once married to Aly Kahn, son of the Aga Kahn. Within just a few
years, both father and son (or daughter in law) purchased
extraordinarily distinctive coachwork from Hooper, with the father
ordering a very stylish and unique Hooper body on a Phantom IV, one
of the most important cars produced by Rolls-Royce since 1945 and
winner of its class at Pebble Beach in 2015. The chain of ownership
since Lady Camrose is well recorded. The noted Rolls-Royce London
dealers, Frank Dale & Stepson have extensive records, including
many early invoices, from the time they sold the car in 1974 and,
after reviewing their files, have even found the spare key which
would be made available to the new owner! There is a less gilded
period in the cars history when it was owned by Herb Wetanson who
owned the Wetsons hamburger (the Big W was the signature burger)
restaurant chain in the greater New York area. During this time or
soon after, work was done by John Dennison, the noted Rolls-Royce
mechanic in PA, USA. This is reported by Paul Bier, son of the
party who bought the car from Wetanson in about 1980. In March 2016
the car underwent extensive mechanical restoration to rebuild the
entire braking system and to return the car to running order. There
is full documentation showing all the work that has been performed.
Over $20,000 has been spent on the mechanical overhaul. The engine
is now blissfully quiet and balanced. Outside a new Rolls-Royce,
BLC35 is quieter than almost any other Rolls-Royce, amongst
hundreds, ever heard by the writer. The hydraulically operated rear
passenger seat, installed by Hooper, allows for a handicapped
person to easily sit on the rotated and elevated rear seat at the
front passenger door.Then, once activated, it will automatically
return to the rear passenger compartment. Currently the seat can
only be operated manually and will require a flushing of the
hydraulic lines and pump. Once returned to its rear positon, the
seat is beautifully integrated with the other rear seat and the
whole arrangement is barely visible. It is an extraordinary
testament to the technical and aesthetic genius of Hooper at the
time. The writer believes that even in 2016, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
could not match this in creativity and imagination. The leather is
original. Unless for Concours, it would be preferable to arrange a
skilled repair and refurbishment to retain its immense appeal. The
wood finish is largely original and usable but would benefit from
refinishing, certainly for Show. The structure would appear to be
outstanding and the passenger door, inevitably large on a two door
coupe, closes with the conviction of a new car. An extraordinarily
rare car, a highpoint of Hoopers prowess, well suited for immediate
use with only minimal attention, or to a greater Concours destiny
Short walk around
video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk9Gaf6cSzsMany pictures
available.Many book references, including references from the
esteemedRolls-Royce publications of Dalton Watson, available on
requestNever ever been previously presented and thus anoutstanding
potential opportunity for Pebble Beach andother Concours
appearances worldwide.Price: $125,000
