1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Flying Spur Saloon

1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Flying Spur Saloon
Coachwork by H J Mulliner
Registration no. RWY 65
Chassis no. SJR79C
Engine no. SR2895
• One of only 35 right-hand drive cars
• Known ownership history
• Splendid colour combination
• Recently recommissioned with no expense spared

This Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III features the elegant HJ Mulliner-designed 'Flying Spur' four-door all-aluminium coachwork which debuted on the Bentley Continental in 1957 and became available on a Rolls=Royce chassis for the first time shortly after the introduction of the Silver Cloud III in 1962. Virtually all Flying Spur coachwork was built on the Bentley Continental chassis and only a handful - estimated at 54 - were made for the Rolls-Royce chassis; this car is one of only 35 right-hand drive examples made. The arrival of the unitary-construction Silver Shadow in 1965 signalled the end of the true coachbuilt Rolls-Royce, making these exclusive, hand-built, last-of-the-line Silver Clouds all the more desirable.
Rolls-Royce had envisaged the Bentley Continental as exclusively a two-door car, but late in 1957 the decision was taken to sanction the production of a four-door variation by H J Mulliner. Introduced on the S1 Continental and known as the 'Flying Spur', this design was a collaborative effort by Rolls-Royce's in-house styling department and HJM, and bore a strong resemblance both to the two-door Continental and to existing coachbuilt four-door styles on Rolls-Royce and (non-Continental) Bentley chassis. To the Continental's existing qualities of pace and elegance, the Flying Spur added four-door practicality, a more spacious interior and a generously proportioned boot.
The Flying Spur body style continued on the V8-engined S2 Continental and was revised to incorporate the S3's (and Silver Cloud III's) four-headlamp front end following their introduction in 1962. Owner of Park Ward since 1939, Rolls-Royce had taken over H J Mulliner in 1959, and by the time chassis number 'SJR79C' was completed in 1965, the pair had been merged as H J Mulliner, Park Ward Ltd, thus securing the future of Britain's two largest surviving coachbuilders.
Originally ordered by Carl Ross of the seafood company Ross Group Ltd, Grimsby and delivered on 11th February 1965, in desirable dark green coachwork with matching upholstery. The car cost £9,000 new compared with £5,500 for the standard steel Silver Cloud III saloon. Two months later, Carl Ross left the company following an acrimonious boardroom battle and the car was sold to Mr Anthony Leader of Hendon, London NW4. Mr Leader kept the Rolls-Royce until 1970 when it was sold to Mr Hugh Denton of Northamptonshire. In 1973 the car was sold again on this occasion by the famous London marque specialists Frank Dale & Stepsons to Maurice and Beryl Sharp of Essex, who kept it for a further 47 years. During that period the couple enjoyed the car regularly and used it for Continental touring as well as attending R-REC events.
Following their deaths, the Flying Spur was purchased by the vendor, who has completed an extensive programme of recommissioning following a period of inactivity. Over the last 10 years the car has had a high quality bare-metal respray and all the woodwork has been repolished (the leather upholstery and headlining remain original). Approximately £15,000 has been spent over the last two years on recommissioning and servicing by renowned Rolls-Royce specialists Harvey Wash Ltd of Kelvedon, Essex. Supplied with all tools (small and large), the car comes with copies of the original Rolls-Royce build sheets; an original HJ Mulliner sales brochure; the original green logbook; a V5C document; owner's handbook; and a history file of bills, old logbooks, old MoTs, etc. A change of audio equipment is the only notified deviation from factory specification.