Lot 322: 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II LWB by Radford

The advent of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S series in 1955 was surely one of the main reasons behind the demise of most of the few remaining coachbuilders still producing bodies for Rolls-Royce and Bentley chassis. The Silver Dawn Standard Steel saloon, being effectively a Bentley Mark VI in disguise, had not really intruded upon the coachbuilt Silver Wraith market. However, the Silver Cloud, with Silver Wraith track and a longer wheelbase than the Silver Dawn, and clothed with a beautifully proportioned body, was a far more formidable opponent. Here was a car which looked so right that there was little incentive for customers to order bespoke coachwork, and soon afterwards both Freestone & Webb and Hooper ceased coachbuilding. If anything detrimental can be said about the Silver Clouds, it is probably that one can have too much of a good thing. As a result of the Standard Steel design being such a success, some of the most favoured bespoke Silver Cloud coachwork was adapted from the standard shape. The two with the most enduring appeal are the Mulliner drop-head saloon and the longer wheelbase saloon, with division, by Park Ward. It is a superlative example of the latter that we offer here. This particular Silver Cloud was modified and converted by the noted London specialist, Harold Radford, to include picnic tables and chairs that fit neatly into the boot, together with finer interior appointments such as crystal glass and decanter holders in the front doors and individual vanity units for the rear passengers. Originally supplied by Meads of Maidenhead, after which it spent the first six years of its life entirely as a chauffeur driven car, it was also the only Harold Radford car built to the driver's rather than the owner's specification, and with no division between the front and rear compartments. With its second owner it covered just 54,000 miles and subsequently, in 1996, it was sold through Coys to its current owner, a gentleman with an innate understanding of good quality British engineering, judging by the other cars in his impressive stable. It has an impressive concours history within the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club, including two first and two second places, while its use has been limited to excursions to Ascot and RREC rallies, together with trips to the West Country - a fact confirmed by the 'Cloud's current mileage of only 58,000. Maintenance during the vendor's tenure has been carried out by the same mechanic as his other cars: Mr Paul Noakes, originally at Talacrest but now with Moto Technique in Surrey, has looked after 141 YYC regardless of expense, as evidenced by the invoices in the extensive history file. Cars such as this, which boast so much period grace and style are few and far between and undoubtedly this is one of the few post-war Rolls-Royces that possess the true bespoke feel of the pre-war era. A unique owner/driver car offered in superb original condition.