1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III

This motor car is being sold as part of an overseas collection. It has been imported under the Bonhams temporary admission customs bond and is therefore subject to the lower rate 5% import tax if the car is to remain in the UK & purchased by a private individual. The 5% is calculated on the final selling price. For example, if the car sells for £16,000, then £800 is added, making the total amount payable of £16,800. Companies purchasing the car will be subject to 10% duty plus VAT in addition to VAT on the hammer price.

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, and proof that HMRC fees are paid. If the car is subsequently exported abroad within 30 days then these fees are refundable.

Lastly, there will be a nominal administration fee of £250 for processing the NOVA application, and payable direct to the shipping company. A completed and processed NOVA will provide you formal proof that all duties & taxes are paid in UK and thus allow you to register the vehicle with the DVLA

In common with the majority of cars in this collection, this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

We have not started or driven the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.

It is available for view and inspection at our HQ near Abingdon and we will be delighted to show the car to you and/or your appointed engineer.

As is often the case with cars from this vendor’s collection, it comes with no service record and very little information regarding ownership or providence.

We do, however, have the following snippets, gleaned from the notes of a French auctioneer when the car went under the gavel in Paris in 2008:

“The car was sold new in Italy to Mrs Gallardi, who was born Olivetti of the family of Camillo Olivetti who founded the famous make of typewriters and calculating machinery [sic].

Its present owner bought this car in 1983 [we think from the first owner] with 35,000 kms on the clock and had it repainted. But, in the political and social unrest of the 1980s in an Italy shocked by the Red Brigades' criminal actions, the car was stored away and used only 18 years later.

It is now in very good running order, finished in white with original Bordeaux leather interior. It has power steering, air conditioning and roll seat belts at the front. The woodwork had been refurbished.”

So, there you go.

The only other things we know are that:

• the car entered the vendor’s static display collection in 2013/14 and it hasn’t turned a wheel since

• at least one owner was at some time a member of the Royal Automobile Club

• it departed Buckingham Palace at 9.00am (on some unspecified date) in order to drive to Dover and board a ferry. We know this because there are some printed directions and a map in the glove compartment.

We are properly intrigued as to why anyone would be leaving Buckingham Palace at 9.00am.

It’s probably best not to ask.

Today, the odometer reads 23,535 kms.

This 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Saloon (VIN: LSKP423) is quite magnificent and is in extremely good overall condition.

It has clearly been cared for and properly maintained over the no doubt stately course of its 57-year journey.

There’s a great deal of bodywork and paint on this car and most of it has withstood the ravages of time with commendable fortitude and style.

The panels are straight and true (even the curved ones), the doors close with the heft and precision you’d hope to find in a handmade car and, in the main, the paintwork is devoid of nicks, scrapes, scuffs or other aberrations of note.

The chrome work is shiny and bright pretty much wherever you look, the only exception being one or two areas of scuffing and marking on the hubcaps.

The lights and lenses are good.

There are the first signs of micro-blistering and bubbling at the tops of the doors in one or two places.

The finish around the o/s/f wheel arch is a yellower shade of white than the rest of the paint, which tends to suggest an ill-matching localised respray or, perhaps, discolouration caused by weathering or some other factor.

The rubber trim around the windows is showing its age here and there, and is cracked or perished in parts.

Like the outside, the inside is really very good.

It is highly original and has a light patina that’s perfectly in keeping with the car’s innate class and style.

The ‘Bordeaux’ leather upholstery is gently creased, front and back, but there are no holes, rips or tears and we imagine that the seats could be restored to their full sumptuous opulence with some appropriate cleaning and feeding products.

The door cards are in very good condition, as is the headlining. The carpets, too, look to require nothing more than the attentions of a vacuum cleaner and some elbow grease.

The rich wood veneers on the dashboard, door cappings and rear picnic tables are in fine fettle. The wooden facing on the rear n/s ashtray (above the picnic table) is missing, but not lost. It’s on the back seat.

Although we can’t vouch for the functionality of any knobs, dials, switches, levers or knobs, most of the fixtures and fittings look to be in fair condition.

The cavernous boot is in fair condition too, though one of the floor panels is currently removed and is sitting elsewhere

As far as we can tell, the undersides of this vehicle look solid and sound. Yes, there’s some rust dust in evidence. And yes, you’ll want to take a look yourself and reach your own conclusions, but we’ve not seen anything that made us tut or shake our heads.

The engine and engine bay look clean and dry. Everything seems to be in its right and proper place.

The car comes with no service history or any record of work done (or not done).

Currently, it has neither an MoT certificate nor a V5.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We haven’t been able to start or drive the car so our understanding of it is somewhat one dimensional.

But everything we’ve seen of the car’s cosmetic condition suggests that this is a very decent vehicle with the potential to scrub up extremely well and provide many years of ownership pleasure to the next buyer.

Provided, of course, that the car’s engine and mechanicals prove to be as good as the rest of it.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £16,000 - £25,000, plus Bonhams bond payment and £250 NOVA fee.

Viewing is always encouraged. The car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’