1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III

We know this magnificent car because it’s passed through our portals before.

Back then it was an excellent example of a very well cared-for and maintained Silver Cloud III; one that that had been expertly steered safety away from the usual perils to which these cars succumb – rust, rot and structural grottiness being the worst and most terminal of them.

Thanks to the fastidious attention to detail, knowledge and technical know-how of the vendor, it is even better now than it was then.

The car’s long term owner must be loudly applauded for his diligent curation of the car over his 48 years of ownership. The vendor has continued this work.

Mr. Joe Peters owned a repair and restoration garage in Osmondthorpe near Leeds. His business had a very good reputation in the area for its workmanship, so it’s no surprise that the Silver Cloud was Mr. Peters’ pride and joy and a vehicle he serviced and maintained himself throughout its near half-century with him.

This work included having four new original equipment wings fitted in the 90’s, along with new inner and outer sills.

However, like all wise experts, he wasn’t afraid to call in people who were more expert than him when necessary, and it’s our understanding that the gearbox was professionally rebuilt by specialists at this time.

The next owner bought the car from the deceased estate of Mr. Peters and promptly set about having the car’s interior and upholstery retrimmed and carpets and headlining replaced.The wood was refurbished as appropriate.

Again, the work was done to an exceptionally high standard, as even the briefest glance at the photographs of the interior will confirm.

We have driven the car and can report that it is as impressive dynamically and mechanically as it is aesthetically.

It starts without coercion, purrs along regally on waves of quiet power, handles better than a car of this age, size and weight has any right to, stops promptly when invited, and generally performs and behaves like the pedigree luxury automobile it undoubtedly is.

The car presents very handsomely from every angle and the bodywork is reassuringly free of any major dinks, dents, creases or other aberrations of significance.

The panel gaps and shut-lines are true and pretty consistent throughout, although the boot lid seems to be catching very slightly on an adjacent panel.

The paint work is broadly decent and, when viewed from 10 metres or so, the overall impression is really very good.

Move a little closer and some cosmetic issues will swim into focus – none of which amounts to anything particularly troublesome or more than mildly frown-inducing.

Nonetheless, it’s our job to find things to moan about, no matter how minor, so here goes.

On the passenger side, there are: various chips, previous touch-up repairs and a number of small dents on the front door; a dent to the fuel filler flap and chips above the tail light and around the rear wheel-arch; some paint bubbling on the top of the aluminium door where this was masked; a little paint blistering atop the front wing and door; and a dent to the front wing and some chips and missing lacquer above and around the front wheel-arch.

On the driver’s side, we noticed: some bubbling on the top of the aluminiumfront door, and a small dent to the centre of same, plus several paint chips; some chips and signs of previous touch-ups around the front wheel-arch; and various chips and scuffs on the rear wing, plus a chip at the top of the rear door.

Beyond that, we found what looks like a masking tape line around the windscreen, various chips and previous touch-ups to the boot lid, and the usual number and distribution of stone chips and light scratches around the ‘nose’ of the car.

The wheels, which follow the colourways and design cues set by the yellow coachlines on the bodywork, are in very good condition.

They are shod in matching Avon Turbospeed rubber, which is rather newer at the front than the rear.

The chrome-work is in very good order throughout and there’s no foxing, pitting or tarnishing to speak of.

The car’s lights, lenses, badges and other exterior fixtures and fittings all look to be in decent order to us.

The interior is a treat for the senses and the quality of the workmanship really can’t be over-emphasised.

We don’t recall seeing anything better, frankly.

The combination of leather, rich, glossy veneers, and subtle red accents to the trim and upholstery creates an ambience that’s powerfully redolent of a bygone age of glamour, class and style.

The interior re-trim being a pretty recent event (and the car having covered very few miles since), it will come as no surprise to learn that everything is in irreproachable condition.

The leather on the upholstery and door cards is buttery soft and of the very highest quality.

The seats, front and back, are inviting, comfortable and supportive, and the leather has yet to earn much more than the lightest of creases, let alone any ingrained patina.

The door cards are equally good, as is the headlining.

The retrimmed door cards even have a little sliding door behind which wasalso retrimmed(the speakers were removed)

It’s that level of attention to detail that really sets this interior apart from lesser examples.

The car’s carpets are in excellent order, as are the new lambswool over-rugs, which are thick enough to convince your ankles that your feet have been stolen.

Lifting the carpets reveals sturdy, solid floors and absolutely nothing to worry about that we can see.

The fine work of Rolls-Royce’s French polishers and veneer whisperers has withstood the ravages of time with commendable fortitude, with the result that fading, cracking and the shedding of lacquer have largely been postponed to some date in the distant future.

The veneers and banding on the rear picnic tables are so good they wouldn’t look out of place on a Chippendale cabinet.

The woodwork on and around the dashboard is equally good.

The black vinyl trim above the dashboard has the odd scuff to show, here and there.

All controls, dials, gauges, switches, knobs, levers and buttons look to be in very decent condition and, as far as we’re aware, everything does what it’s supposed to do.

The only exception of which we and the vendor are aware is the front passenger’s electric window, which currently cannot be operated from the driver’s control panel (it works just fine from the passenger’s control panel).

The capacious boot is as good as the rest of it and contains a spare wheel, a jack and a few tools.

The engine bay, engine and ancillaries are notably clean, dry and orderly.

The undersides look solid, secure and sound to us.

Certainly, we’ve seen nothing to make us question the car’s integrity or character.

The car comes with plenty of bills, invoices and receipts covering work carried out both during and prior to the vendor’s tenure, plus an impressive array of invoices for parts ordered from Flying Spares.

The car has recently been given a full service. Other work carried out in recent years includes the following.

· New water pump

· Dynamo, power steering pump and ram rebuilt

· Brakes – 4 new drums, new linings, new hoses; master cylinders rebuilt

· New engine wiring loom

· Electronic ignition fitted (with new leads)

· Electric fan re-fitted (correctly)

· Refurbished actuators for heating and ventilation system

· Rocker covers powder coated

· New drive belts

· Rebuilt rear dampers, new Silentbloc bushes

The car comes with numerous old MoT certificates and tax discs, its original buff logbook, a recent HPI report, and a V5C.

All over the country, car enthusiasts of a certain age can be heard opining, “They don’t make them like that anymore”, often while weeping bitter tears of regret into a pint of Old Scrotum’s Wessex Walloper and rueing the demise of the Corby trouser press.

If you really want to understand their disappointment, there is no more visceral and poignant embodiment than the Silver Cloud III we have here today.

It is gloriously, wonderfully evocative of a time when excellence was pursued just for the sake of it and a car like this would have been the default, go-to transport for any self-respecting aristocrat, media mogul, business tycoon or film star.

We shall not see its like again…more’s the pity.

This particular example has been very well curated, maintained, preserved and cared-for by a succession of diligent owners.

One or two minor cosmetic issues aside, it is in really very good condition - dynamically and mechanically - and the sumptuous interior is worth the price of admission on its own.

In case you hadn’t guessed, we like it a great deal.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £22,000 - £27,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.