1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Touring Limousine

Coachwork by James Young

6,230cc OHV V8 Engine
2 SU Carburetors
Est. 220bhp
4-Speed Automatic Transmission
Front Independent Suspension - Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes

*Desirable and bespoke James Young Rolls-Royce with special-order features
*Factory LHD example, delivered new to New York
*The very last coachbuilt, LWB Silver Cloud III created
*Exquisite hand-built Rolls-Royce with exciting provenance


THE LWB ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER CLOUD

Catering for the stately Limousine market in the 1950s, Rolls-Royce offered the royalty and heads of state-only Phantom IV and the generally available, if somewhat dated, Silver Wraith. Following the introduction of the Silver Cloud and Bentley S-Type, a long-wheelbase version of this more modern design was made available, with bodies closely based on the factory's standard offering. Four inches longer in the wheelbase than the standard Saloon and usually fitted out with an internal division, the majority of these bodyshells were extended by Rolls-Royce's in-house coachbuilder Park Ward (soon to become H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward) at its London works and finished off at the factory in Crewe. A select few also received bodywork by external coachbuilders such as the renowned firm James Young Ltd.


THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

According to its original Rolls-Royce factory records, 1966 LWB Silver Cloud III chassis no. LCFL39 was originally delivered to Robert F. Carney, at the time chairman of the board of Foote, Cone & Belding, the world's third-largest advertising agency at the time, with offices in the newly completed Pan Am Building at 200 Park Avenue in Manhattan. LCFL39 was delivered to Mr. Carney's weekend home on Captains Neck Lane in Southampton, NY, an area where he was a prominent resident and philanthropist. Marking the end of a long, proud era of independent British coachbuilding, chassis no. LCFL39 was the last LWB Silver Cloud III Rolls-Royce created with custom coachwork and one of the final custom bodies produced by the U.K.'s last extant private coachbuilding firm, James Young Ltd., of Bromley, Kent.

LCFL39 was acquired in 1967 by J.P. Wade Levering, a former foundry owner who had established a successful second career as a yacht broker in Southern Florida and would then move to Louis J. Stone's ownership in 1970, a Fort Lauderdale resident. The rare Rolls-Royce later returned to the Northeast, spending time at the du Pont family estate at Winterthur in Delaware and with Mrs. Eleanor B. Shults, of New York City, before joining the long-term ownership of Allen R. Howard in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.

The Silver Cloud III by James Young was eventually acquired from Mr. Howard for the corporate collection of Michael Schudroff's Carriage House Motor Cars, the successful independent Rolls-Royce dealership in Manhattan. When the Manhattan showroom closed in 1994, the company collection was sold, and LCFL39 was acquired by its previous owner. In this world-class stable, it remained well maintained and preserved until 2015, when acquired by the consignor.

LCFL39 is one of just two long-wheelbase Silver Cloud IIIs built to unique designs, in this case James Young's style number SC179, a variant of their popular SCT100, the Touring Limousine known as the "Baby Phantom" for its resemblance to a scaled-down Phantom V. This design incorporates many of SCT100's distinctive features, such as a "turtleback" semi-fastback trunk lid and a sweeping fender line, while adding Hooper-style rear quarter windows, with their distinctive curved trailing edge. The result, accented by a two-tone finish in Honey Beige and Coffee Bean Brown, remains subtle and elegant. The wonderful Rolls-Royce is well optioned, with its long list of accessories including factory air conditioning, picnic tables, a rear compartment radio, and a division window.

This unique Rolls-Royce is documented by an impressive history file which includes original factory information and Rolls-Royce Foundation ownership records. This is a very elegant one-off Silver Cloud III in well-preserved condition, perfectly representing the elegant and now classic Rolls-Royce Motor Car with custom coachwork by James Young.