 Introduced in 1955, Silver
Cloud bridged between the classic pre-war Rolls-Royce and the modern
Silver Shadow. In many ways it had the best of both sides.
Traditionalists preferred its classic proportion, elegant fenders and
the huge upright radiator grille, which were the final traces of
pre-war designs. On the other hand, unlike earlier models, it
offered standard body works besides traditional custom-built bodies.
These standard bodies allowed increased production without sacrificing
build quality, and they were
proved to be popular to the new generation rich buyers. Moreover, the
introduction of V8 power gave
the 2-ton Rolls-Royce much stronger performance than previous models.
 While the use of technology was no match with the flamboyant
Cadillac
Eldorado Brougham, the Rolls-Royce still intended to be the
best luxury car in the world in terms of build quality, comfort and
refinement. The early car was powered by a 4.9-liter straight-six,
whose history could be traced back to the Silver Ghost almost half a
century ago. No one knows its exact power and torque figures, because
Rolls-Royce
adopted a policy to declare the output as "adequate" without giving
numbers, but it was estimated
to be around 155 hp. It might be underpowered, but it still turned
smoothly and quietly, as did the GM-sourced 4-speed automatic
transmission. The suspension fitted adjustable dampers to improve ride
comfort and stability.
 In 1959, the car was updated to Silver Cloud II. Big news
was a brand new all-alloy 6.2-liter
overhead-valve V8. Its power was again undisclosed, but it was said to
be lifted by 30 percent, which should be around
200 hp. This improved performance a lot. Now the car could sprint from
rest to 60 mph under 11 seconds, fairly good for a car so huge and
heavy. In 1962, Silver Cloud III improved
engine output further with higher compression ratio and enlarged
carburetors. The III also received a facelift, using recessed
quad-headlights
instead of the previous standalone units. However, by the mid-1960s the
car appeared to be outdated with its separate body-on-frame structure.
After nearly 8000 units built, RR replaced it with the more modern
Silver
Shadow.
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