1959 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud
I've mentioned the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud many times before as the iconic design was derived into many different Bentley types such as the S1 and the Hooper bodied Continental dropheads, as well as mentioning it in pictures of its replacement the Silver Shadow, but finally I find an immaculate example of one of these magnificent machines out on the streets of Belgravia, the last of the Silver Rolls to be built in the conventional and iconic style of long on front, short on back.
Entering production in 1955, the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud was built to replace a collection of earlier models, including the Silver Wraith and the Silver Dawn, whilst also being built alongside the Phantom series. A cross between the Flying Scotsman and a Stately Home, the Silver Cloud was built originally for a market that revolved around hereditary money, Royals, Soldiers, Mine and Factory owners, and other families that had made their money in the great Victorian era of Industry.
But unbeknownst to Rolls Royce, as the 50's were packed away, the world changed abruptly. Money was easier to come by, and the margins that had once separated the class system became blurred and distorted. People of lower class backgrounds found their way up the social ladder by way of music and television, and one of the first things they hankered for was a Rolls Royce, the ultimate symbol of success.
And it's not hard to see why, with a price tag of £5,000 the Cloud was the equivalent cost of 10 Morris Minors or a 7 bedroom house. To own a Silver Cloud in the early 1960's meant you had to be someone very very special.
However, the Silver Cloud's old world design kept it very much in the past. Unlike modern Rollers where the body and chassis are built together, the Cloud was built as a chassis first, and then it was up to the owner to decide who constructed the coachwork, be they Hoopers, H.J. Muliner Park Ward or James Young.
This antiquated system meant that Rolls were losing their market, and thus they had to adapt in order to survive. In 1965 the highly advanced and radically designed Silver Shadow entered production, and a year later the last Silver Cloud rolled off the production line, bringing an end to the era of the classic Rolls.
Today they're a real rarity, the 1970's showed that rust was no respecter of pedigree and many redundant rollers simply whittled away under the rain. But even so, immaculate examples such as this continue to be found.
This was my first instance of sitting in the drivers seat of a Silver Cloud, and it was magnificent. Looking on from the lavish steering wheel placed before me, there was just feet of bonnet that resembled the bow of a mighty ocean going liner, with the beautiful Spirit of Ecstasy forming the bowspirit, cutting through the air like a ship through the sea.
I really should stop being so poetic about these cars... hehe
1959 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud
I've mentioned the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud many times before as the iconic design was derived into many different Bentley types such as the S1 and the Hooper bodied Continental dropheads, as well as mentioning it in pictures of its replacement the Silver Shadow, but finally I find an immaculate example of one of these magnificent machines out on the streets of Belgravia, the last of the Silver Rolls to be built in the conventional and iconic style of long on front, short on back.
Entering production in 1955, the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud was built to replace a collection of earlier models, including the Silver Wraith and the Silver Dawn, whilst also being built alongside the Phantom series. A cross between the Flying Scotsman and a Stately Home, the Silver Cloud was built originally for a market that revolved around hereditary money, Royals, Soldiers, Mine and Factory owners, and other families that had made their money in the great Victorian era of Industry.
But unbeknownst to Rolls Royce, as the 50's were packed away, the world changed abruptly. Money was easier to come by, and the margins that had once separated the class system became blurred and distorted. People of lower class backgrounds found their way up the social ladder by way of music and television, and one of the first things they hankered for was a Rolls Royce, the ultimate symbol of success.
And it's not hard to see why, with a price tag of £5,000 the Cloud was the equivalent cost of 10 Morris Minors or a 7 bedroom house. To own a Silver Cloud in the early 1960's meant you had to be someone very very special.
However, the Silver Cloud's old world design kept it very much in the past. Unlike modern Rollers where the body and chassis are built together, the Cloud was built as a chassis first, and then it was up to the owner to decide who constructed the coachwork, be they Hoopers, H.J. Muliner Park Ward or James Young.
This antiquated system meant that Rolls were losing their market, and thus they had to adapt in order to survive. In 1965 the highly advanced and radically designed Silver Shadow entered production, and a year later the last Silver Cloud rolled off the production line, bringing an end to the era of the classic Rolls.
Today they're a real rarity, the 1970's showed that rust was no respecter of pedigree and many redundant rollers simply whittled away under the rain. But even so, immaculate examples such as this continue to be found.
This was my first instance of sitting in the drivers seat of a Silver Cloud, and it was magnificent. Looking on from the lavish steering wheel placed before me, there was just feet of bonnet that resembled the bow of a mighty ocean going liner, with the beautiful Spirit of Ecstasy forming the bowspirit, cutting through the air like a ship through the sea.
I really should stop being so poetic about these cars... hehe