Rolls Royce Silver Cloud: The Complete Story * Including Phantom V and VI, Bentley S and Continental

by James Taylor

Overview

The Rolls-Royce company acquired Bentley Motors in 1931 and, although models continued to be produced with the Bentley name, they increasingly used many Rolls-Royce components. By the time the Silver Cloud and Bentley S were released in 1955, they were really differently badged versions of the same design. Yet the sporting tradition of the Bentley marque was upheld with the exotic Continental models that were derived from them. The Silver Cloud family represents a pinnacle for the Rolls-Royce company. The cars all had and still have a very special presence, and the standard saloons have an unsurpassed elegance and rightness of line. The special-bodied cars, meanwhile, are reminders of an age when the skill of the best coachbuilders was something deserving of universal admiration. With around 190 photographs, this book features: ·The story of the design and development of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S Type ·A look at the production development of these cars between 1955 and 1965 ·An examination of the Bentley Continental models that were derived from Silver Cloud and S Type design ·The history of the Phantom V and Phantom VI limousine chassis introduced in 1959 and destined to last until 1990 ·Full technical specifications, including paint and interior trim choices ·Production figures and chassis codes ·A chapter on buying and owning one of these wonderful classic cars.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785009679
Publisher:	Crowood Press, The
Publication date:	04/19/2022
Series:	AutoClassics Series
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	8.74(w) x 10.56(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

After graduating from Oxford and pursuing further academic studies at Reading, James Taylor spent 12 years working in central government. However, the lure of writing about cars – which he was doing in his spare time – proved too great and he decided to turn it into a career. James has now written well over 100 books in all, and among them have been several definitive one-make or one-model titles. He has written for enthusiast magazines in several countries, has translated books from foreign languages, and even delivers effective writing training in both the public and private sectors. He spent the best part of ten years as the editor of Land Rover Enthusiast magazine and has always counted the products of the old Rover Company and of Land Rover as his favourite subject. He also co-organised the “15 Years of Rover V8” event at Donington in 1982.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Acknowledgements 7

Timeline 8

Chapter 1 Forebears and Expectations 9

Chapter 2 Design, Development and Prototypes 21

Chapter 3 The 6-Cylinder Models, 1955-1959 33

Chapter 4 The 6-Cylinder Continentals 51

Chapter 5 Silver Cloud II and Bentley S2 65

Chapter 6 Phantom V, 1959-1968 81

Chapter 7 Silver Cloud III and Bentley S3 97

Chapter 8 The V8-Engined Continentals 113

Chapter 9 Special Bodies on Standard Chassis 131

Chapter 10 Phantom VI, 1968-1990 155

Chapter 11 What Came After: Silver Shadow and T Type 170

Chapter 12 Purchase and Ownership 176

Appendix: How Much Did They Cost? 185

Photo Credits 188

Index 189