1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupé by Mulliner Park Ward

Please note the registration number is as photographed GRT 110C, not as incorrectly catalogued.

The introduction of the Silver Cloud III and Bentley S.3 saw the marked the arrival of several contemporary design cues. Most obvious were the dual-quad headlamps, a lower hood and radiator shell, and smaller bumpers. The non-standard Vilhelm Koren-designed body for the S.2 cars built by Park Ward, who would later merge with H. J. Mulliner, pleased buyers so much that the design was adopted for the Bentley S.3 and its fraternal brother, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III. It was felt that the horizontal twin headlights detracted from the overall presentation, so they were fitted on a slight slant. The new interior was updated with a padded cap rail above the fascia, separate front seats, and more leg room for front and rear passengers. The car's weight was reduced by over 100kg, and performance was improved by fitting 2'' SU carburettors and increasing the compression ratio to 9:1, resulting in a 7% increase in horsepower. Rolls-Royce enthusiasts agree that the Cloud III was the finest of the series and 2,044 were built, plus 253 on the long-wheelbase chassis. All coachbuilt cars were long-wheelbase and are identified by the letter 'L' preceding the chassis number. This car, chassis LCSC21B, is the tenth in the series and one of 79 Coachbuilt Silver Cloud examples, denoted by the instantly identifiable CSC in the chassis number. Production continued with the CSC series until March 1966, well after the Cloud-series ceased production.

Documents show LCSC21B was shipped to its first owner, Gordon Carruthers, in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1964. It was the first Rolls-Royce drophead coupé ordered with air-conditioning, a necessity in the oppressive African climate. It was further equipped with power windows, a power-operated folding roof, a radio aerial, a second set of louder 'Grande Vitesso' horns for high-speed touring, and extremely rare for Rolls Royce, a tachometer. Johannesburg is located at 5,751 feet asl and is surrounded by ridges and deep valleys, so the car was naturally fitted with an altimeter. It was sold in 1978 to its second owner, a foreign correspondent based in South Africa. He shipped it to Europe for family holidays and then stored it in an automobile museum in Germany when he was assigned to Istanbul, where he felt this valuable car may not be safe. On his retirement, the car was shipped back to Johannesburg and in recent years, LCSC21B has resided with its third owner in his private Collection consisting mainly of this model.

These days, discerning collectors are trending towards preservation rather than restoration, and an original, correctly maintained car may hold a higher value than the same car in restored condition, with open coachbuilt cars like this one bringing the highest numbers.

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Drophead Coupés are sought after for both their form and function and, with a 0–60 time of 10.8 seconds and a top speed of 115 mph, they are delightful cars to drive and perfectly comfortable in modern traffic.

There can be few more stylish ways to arrive anywhere than in a 1960s Rolls-Royce convertible and, in this lovely original condition, finished in a rare colour and sensibly guided, this stunning Silver Cloud III makes a lot of sense.