32425 Miles 6230 V8 AutomaticConvertible

Price: US $895,000.00 Item location: Torrance, California, United States
Description:

1963 Rolls-Royce H.J Mulliner Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupe --

West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely stunning and extraordinarily rare and all original apart from one repaint 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupe factory LHD & coachbuilt by H.J. Mulliner - Very rare Original southern California 'Black License Plate ' car and very collectible LHD model with factory coachwork by H.J Mulliner - 1 of only 27 ever built - Burgundy with all original Tan Connolly leather interior - 32K original miles & equipped with factory power windo...ws & original air conditioning equipment & rare altimeter & dashboard mounted tachometer replacing the left side cubby box, original radio, rear folding picnic tables, white wall tires and rare 'Kneeling Lady' mascot - the car had one southern California owner from 1968-2010 - original sales & delivery documents, handbooks, boot cover, lambswool rugs, spare wheel & heavy tools & small toolbox. Unique opportunity for Rolls collector/enthusiast to purchase not only 1 of the 27 factory LHD true coachbuilt H.J. Mulliner cars but also a superbly original and unrestored car that still drives as good as when new and boasting only 32K original miles! This is an absolutely stunning and exceptionally rare example of this completely unrestored, apart from one repaint, and truly remarkable condition both mechanically and cosmetically, 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III V8 Drophead Coupe by Mulliner, only 27 of these original left hand drive coachbuilt cars were ever built by H.J Mulliner of Willesden, London with very few of these cars now known to still exist today. These completely hand built cars real left hand drive factory Mulliner's are not to be confused with one of the RHD Silver Cloud non-factory or later Silver Cloud conversions by a multitude of entities!The third and final Silver Cloud was introduced in 1962 and a precious few of these cars were chosen by Rolls to be taken from the standard steel production line and sent to the renown Rolls Royce appointed coachworks of H.J Mulliner of Willesden, London to be adapted by hand into drophead coupes. These were to be the iconic 27 Mulliner Drophead coupes, by far the most expensive and exclusive car of it's day. In the years to come, seeing the desirability and demand of these few Mulliner's, other coachbuilders were to try and emulate what Mulliner had originally achieved with the Silver Cloud, but as any enthusiast will attest, although there are some very fine Silver Cloud non-factory conversions out there, none of these will ever prove as desirable as an original Mulliner and all fall short of these original 27 cars in terms of prestige and historic importance.This particular example was owned by it's long time southern California owner from 1968-2010 and is an original 'Black Plate' California car since new. It was purchased by it' second owner on 6/3/1968 from 'Peter Satori Co Ltd' of Pasadena, CA with documentation available and owned until sold by his estate to only it's third southern California owner in 2010 and it was serviced and maintained throughout the years at the renown independent Rolls Royce specialists 'Vanderploeg Motors' and 'Scott Motors' of West Los has rare options of the altimeter and tachometer, air conditioning, 'Sundym' reflective tinted glass, White sided tubeless tires, power brakes and power windows. Finished in an exceptionally striking color of 'Burgundy' with an all original 'Tan' color Connolly hides interior showing suberb patina. How often can you hope to find an all original leather interior like this, with seats that are truly still as comfortable as the day they were new, firm and supportive with the right amount of honest patina, never dyed or repaired. The carpeting has always been covered and preserved by the car's original lambswool rugs and the car's original convertible top and mohair headliner show superb maintenance and care from its two long time owners. Please note that although available with the car the original boot or tonneau cover for the top when lowered has shrunk over the years due to lack of use and will no longer fit the car, a testament to the fact that the top was most likely rarely down which would also attest to the car's phenomenally well preserved original wood and leather interior.For those who are unfamiliar, the Bentley S3 and the Silver Cloud III were absolutely identical with both vehicles hand built at the Rolls Royce factory in Crewe, England with the only differences being their nameplates, radiator and mascots. The Silver Cloud III was introduced in 1962 and lasted until 1965. Little changed externally from the Silver Cloud II with the same improved 6.2 L V8 Series II engine from the original Series I but performance was greatly improved though in the new upgraded Series III models with the top speed raised to 183 km/h (114 mph), with the main improvements being in acceleration and torque and the inclusion of larger SU carburetors. Separate front seats now replaced the bench seat and there was more legroom in the rear. Power steering had already become standard with the Series II but electrically operated windows and air conditioning were now available as an autumn 1962 the Series II production cars were given a facelift and the Silver Cloud III and Bentley S3 were introduced. The most obvious visual feature was the twin headlamp arrangement in what was virtually an unchanged body style. Four headlamps provided more illumination and made it easier for Rolls-Royce to pass the latest North American lighting regulations. Also this layout had been chosen for the next generation Silver Shadow and this provided a convenient way of bridging the visual gap between the old and the new. The side lamps and flashers were combined and mounted in the noses of the front mudguards: the earlier cars had separate side lamps on the top of the mudguards and used the fog lamps also as flashers. Internally, individual front seats became standard and there was some reshaping of the rear seats. The heating/ ventilation system was upgraded, there were extra radio controls and a number of other such details were improved. The engine had a new compression ratio of 9.0:1; the crankshaft was hardened and there was extra power assistance for the steering.This car boasts it's all original Connolly leather and wood interior and has many surprisingly still all original components including its original leather wrapped rear leaf springs, small tool box and spare wheel with all it's original heavy tools; inspection lamp, spare wheel inflation trap & clamp, tire pump, wheel brace & jack, still unused and in their rightful place in the trunk. The car has been maintained in recent years at the renown independent Rolls Royce & Bentley specialists 'Independent Rolls Royce' of Beverly Hills, California where the car received a recent full service and this long time southern California family owned and cherished and always garaged car has had no accidents and is a completely rust free example - the floor boards, trunk and all the typical rust-prone areas are completely solid and rust free!The beautiful and highly striking paint color of 'Burgundy' exterior paint is in exceptional condition and extraordinarily striking! The car has matching Rolls Royce hubcaps and as previously stated it's all original 'Connolly' leather hides and carpeting, lambswool rugs and Mohair headliner interior. Connolly leather is legendary for being exclusively used in Rolls Royce and other high end British cars and came from unfenced cow