Forty years with its first owner’s family
With its third owners in Austria for almost 20 years
Preserved in largely authentic, original condition
Stunning combination of Pine Green and Beige
Introduced in 1962, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III represented the final and technically most developed evolution of the model with which Rolls-Royce had been practising automotive understatement at the highest level since the mid-1950s. Revolutions, after all, were not really the Crewe way. Instead, details were refined until there was precious little left to improve.
Beneath the imposing bonnet remained the 6.2-litre V8 already familiar from the Silver Cloud II. For the III, larger SU carburettors and a higher compression ratio provided more power. Precisely how much was something Rolls-Royce traditionally preferred not to discuss. ‘Adequate’ was effectively the philosophy – and indeed, the V8 moved the more than two-ton saloon with remarkable ease. Naturally, the whole affair was taken care of by an automatic transmission.
Externally, the Silver Cloud III was most readily distinguished by its four headlamps. At the same time, the front end was lowered slightly, while changes to the body and interior improved visibility and reduced weight. None of this fundamentally altered its appearance: the Silver Cloud remained an imposing motor car that made its presence felt without making a fuss about it.
Alongside the Standard Steel Saloon, the separate chassis continued to provide the basis for exclusive coachbuilt bodies by renowned firms such as Mulliner Park Ward and James Young. These in particular made the Silver Cloud III one of the last great showcases for traditional British coachbuilding.
Production ended in 1966 in favour of the entirely new Silver Shadow with its unitary construction. The Silver Cloud III therefore marked not merely the end of a model line, but the end of an era.
SCX707 was completed in April 1964, finished in Pine Green and trimmed in the finest Beige Connolly leather. Its first owner was Alfred Patrick V. Cantor of Southend-on-Sea. In 1989, the Rolls-Royce was transferred into his wife’s name, and it was not until four decades after its original delivery that the Silver Cloud III changed hands for the first time. Invoices from marque specialists Harvey dating from 1998 and 1999, as well as Clark and Carter from 2006, attest to regular servicing during those years.
In 2007, SCX707 came to Austria through the renowned specialist dealer P&A Wood, passing to only its third owners. Both remain active members of the local Rolls-Royce club to this day and have clearly understood how to look after this imposing saloon while preserving its highly authentic, largely unrestored appearance. The result is a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III that does not merely document its history – it visibly wears it.