1964 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER CLOUD III FLYING SPUR BY MULLINER, P...

Estimate

£130,000 - £160,000

1964 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER CLOUD III FLYING SPUR BY MULLINER, PARK WARD                         
from The Aldeburgh Collection

Registration Number: DHJ 411B   
Chassis Number: SEV323
Recorded Mileage: 32,000 miles (132,000)

- The first Silver Cloud III Flying Spur produced
- Genuine and well maintained example
- Previously owned by Mr. Sydney Samuelson, former chairman of BAFTA 

Introduced in 1955, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S-Type saloons were thoroughly modern, spacious, comfortable, quiet and powerful. In production for 10 years, the new models represented the final series-production coachbuilt cars to come from the Crewe works. Building on the legendary status of the ground-breaking R-Type Continental, Bentley soon announced a two-door S-Type, as drophead coupé by Park Ward and ‘fastback’ by H.J. Mulliner. Thanks to aluminium coachwork, a raised compression ratio and longer final drive, these were fast cars which soon found a market with the wealthy and famous of the day.

Two years later, due to customer demand for the pace and exclusivity of the Continental combined with the practicality of four doors, H.J. Mulliner devised the stylish Continental saloon, subsequently titled ‘Flying Spur’ after the Clan Johnstone crest of Mulliner’s then managing director, Harry Talbot Johnstone. 

First deliveries started in the summer of 1957. With competition from other luxury makers in the United States, in August 1959 Rolls-Royce announced a new 6.2 litre V8 engine. The new light alloy unit was 25% more powerful than the previous engine, but with the same weight the new Continentals were faster and even more refined than ever. 

First shown at the Paris Salon in October 1962, the new Silver Cloud III included various powertrain and styling improvements over its predecessor. The weight was cut by over 100 kilograms, while the V-8 engine featured a higher 9:1 compression ratio, larger 2-inch SU carburettors, and a nitride-hardened crankshaft for improved reliability. Most obvious among many changes from the preceding models was the adoption of four-headlamp lighting and a slightly lower radiator shell. Inside there was improved accommodation with separate front seats and increased room for rear passengers. Notable as the last mainstream Rolls-Royce to employ a separate chassis, the Silver Cloud III proved immensely successful both at home and abroad, remaining in production until the autumn of 1965.

With the introduction of the Silver Cloud III chassis, for the very first time, a Rolls-Royce buyer could now choose an almost identical body style for his new car as a Bentley owner, with the fixed head and drophead coupes by Mulliner/Park Ward and lastly Design No 2042, the Flying Spur-type design. Just thirty five cars built in right hand drive to this design, with a further nineteen built in left hand drive between 1962 and 1965. 

First registered on 20th January 1964, chassis SEV323 is understood to be the very first of the 35 RHD Silver Cloud III chassis completed by Mulliner, Park Ward. Records show the original order to be placed with agent H.R.Owen at the of August 1963, on behalf of a Mr. George Farrow of Farnborough in Kent. 

The order for a body style SC.111 4-door Saloon by H.J. Mulliner commenced on 30th September 1963. The finished Flying Spur was delivered the following January to Mr. Farrow with the registration GF1. Finished in Oxford Blue with a Grey leather interior, options included a rev. counter, Radio 920T, Full Refrigeration, Electric Windows to all doors, a Hirschmann electric aerial, luggage straps, tubeless tyres, and a gold plaque attached to the “cubby hole”.

The Cloud III changed hands in 1967 and into the possession of Mr. Sydney Samuelson, a British Cinematographer and later chairman of BAFTA from 1973 - 1976. Mr. Samuelson kept the Rolls-Royce for around 25 years before passing ownership in 1992 to Mr. Clifford Baker of Wimpole Street in London. After two years Mr. Baker sold his Flying Spur to a business by the name of GET Plc, who kept the car until 2002. The next and last registered keeper, Mr. John Grayson, acquired the Rolls-Royce from marque specialists P&A Wood in May 2002. In Mr. Grayson’s ownership the Rolls-Royce was maintained initially by P&A Wood, and latterly by Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist Silver Chalice Motor Services of Sheffield. 

Supplied with a number of invoices from the 2000s, a copy of the original build sheet and Rolls-Royce History Book, and several older MoT certificates, this is a very genuine example of a supremely stylish continent-crossing gentleman’s express.