Following the Silver Dawn, he Rolls Royce Silver Cloud was introduced in 1955 with a curvy, ubenesque body shell, esigned by J.P. Blatchley. While maintaining the traditional grill and headlights, nd hinting at the separate fenders seen on previous models, t was Rolls Royce's first move towards a more modern, ntegrated look. As in the past, he car was built on a separate chassis so custom-bodied cars could be built for those who wanted a personalized version of Rolls Royce's most popular model. The body was steel, ith lightweight aluminum panels for the doors, ood, nd trunk lid, oreshadowing the weight saving measures taken by many car manufacturers today.
Equipped with an inline six-cylinder engine, our-speed automatic transmission, nd independent front suspension, he car could reach 60mph in 13.5 seconds and top out at 103mph if Sir was in a hurry, s reported in a contemporary review in Motor magazine. While the engine was carried over from the pre-war Silver Wraith, t was considered smoother than the V8 that followed in the Silver Cloud II. It also doesn't give up much in performance to its successor, nd is said to be easier to maintain. When owners of ordinary cars were making do with two- or three-speed automatics, r even a manual transmission, he Cloud came with a four-speed automatic, specification that has only recently gone out of date, ome 50 years later.
The entire package made a very successful car for Rolls Royce, ith greater production and a longer lifespan than any model that preceded it. It remains a quintessential Rolls Royce, ith enough power to be used on modern roads, nd a degree of style that only this marque can offer.
This lovely LHD Silver Cloud was sold new to Mr. JP Elsbach of Los Angeles, alifornia and featured power steering, actory air conditioning, unroof and a speedometer in MPH. The last California owner purchased the car in 1978 and owned it until present. The car has just completed a full service including new transmission seals and servo seals.