1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud S1

The vendor, a self-confessed pedant when it comes to his classic cars, spent two years and thousands of pounds in his search to find the right car, and he tells us that this one far exceeded anything he saw in his travels, travels that took him all over the UK and as far afield as Germany, The Netherlands and France to look at prospective purchases.

The Silver Cloud he eventually bought, and the one you see here, had been the subject of an expensive bare metal respray and complete restoration in 2001, and had been subsequently stored in a Carcoon stored and never driven in the rain.

With a large provenance and paper trail to support its history, we have no reason to believe that the mileage is anything but genuine. Meticulously cared for, the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club appraised it in 2015 stating: “In her present silver she looks magnificent and very well presented. The slate blue trim looks to be absolutely correct and the woodwork excellent. Underbody condition is superb and details such as the original toolkit and underbonnet finish make this a first class example.” It was valued at £60,000 – five years ago – and the appraiser went onto say that finding a car in similar condition would be “a serious challenge” and restoring a good car into the same condition would be “hugely expensive”.

Offered with a very sensible reserve, it is only being sold because he has now taken early retirement and is thinning his collection of classic cars.

Originally painted maroon – and possibly sand and sable too, at one point - it is now a wonderful shade of silver, a colour that suits its lines beautifully, giving it a hewn-from-solid look that is reinforced by the excellent chromework.

As you’d expect, the panel fit is excellent with tight, even gaps. The doors all open and latch cleanly, and the flanks are free of ripples and car-park dinks.

The paintwork itself is excellent, and the work was clearly done to a very high standard. Even now, 19 years later, it is all but flawless, which is testament to both the quality of the initial work and the care it has received since then. It is so good that words are superfluous; please take the time to look at the photos we’ve posted here as they will give you an accurate idea of the condition the Silver Cloud is in.

You will also note that the Spirit of Ecstasy is present and correct and sits atop the handmade, and suitably regal, radiator grille. Both are in a fabulous condition, as are the lights, glass, and badging.

The steel wheels, with their full-width chrome hubcaps, are excellent. They are shod with period-correct whitewall crossply tyres that were recently supplied by well-known classic car tyre specialist Longstone’s.

As we will never tyre of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Other than the superlatives, the only problem the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club appraiser identified at the time were faded rear indicator lenses. The vendor has replaced the faded originals with new/old stock units. With this work done, we really can’t think of anything else for the new owner to do.

The slate blue trim offers a discreet flash of colour to an otherwise sombre and regal interior. The leather upholstery has only a very gentle patina and the front bench seat still offers good support and looks fabulous.

The rear seats extend around to the side of the Silver Cloud, giving the passengers a delightfully cossetting experience. The leather-covered door cards are also in fine fettle, being smooth and free of damage and warping.

A huge steering wheel, which makes manoeuvring such a big car light work, sits in front of the a vast wooden dashboard. The woodwork itself, both here and elsewhere within the cabin, shows none of the crazing or fading that is common on even the most carefully curated examples. The dashboard even retains the original push-button radio and there is a period-correct fire extinguisher on the floor in front of the driver’s seat.

Rolls-Royce-branded Smiths gauges add a touch of old world charm, as do the chrome knobs and switches. The wooden glovebox cover features a wonderful ‘Glovers of Ripon’ emblem screwed to it.

The carpets, which the vendor has had replaced, are in great shape and are protected by deep-pile lambs’-wool overmats.

The split-level boot is home to the spare wheel, and the (both very rare) factory toolkit and inspection lamp on the underside, giving a separate area for your luggage above. Both sections are clean and well presented, and the underlying metalwork is free of rust and corrosion.

Work to do is limited to a couple of areas of light wear to the seats, which has left the underlying leather a little exposed. This is barely noticeable but it would be easy to get them recoloured if patina bothers you .

The subject of a full restoration in 2001, the car was subsequently kept in a Carcoon and never driven in the rain. Next sold in July 2015, the car’s new owner had it recommissioned by Ristes Motors of Nottingham, an independent Rolls-Royce specialist. This work included: new tyres; distributor cap, rotor arm, points and condenser; drive belts; rocker cover, bushes and nuts; and a battery. The work came to just over £3,300.

It is also fitted with a stainless steel exhaust.

The vendor bought the car five years ago, and has continued to keep it in the manner to which it has become accustomed and the last service was carried out in March 2019. He also confirms that the car’s suspension lubrication system, operated remotely via a third pedal in the cabin, works as it should – and that he operates it every single time he takes the car out.

The engine bay itself is very clean and beautifully presented and the chassis and sills are solid, almost certainly because they’ve been properly protected against rust over the years by an initial application of FE-123 rust convertor followed by an injection of Dinitrol 3125 cavity wax.

As (yet another) illustration of how determined the vendor is to look after his cars correctly, he had all of the old underseal professionally removed prior to having this treatment carried out. This must have been a huge undertaking, and in case you’re still unimpressed he then double-checked that the work had been done properly - using an endoscope…

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it drives as it should, starting, ticking over and running beautifully. It also shows good oil pressure and water temperatures, even after an extended, high-speed run.

A couple of videos of the car being driven have been incorporated into the Gallery.

Oh, and the Carcoon is available to the winning bidder at an extra cost to be negotiated upon conclusion of the auction.

The Silver Cloud’s MOT certificate expires in March 2021, and was gained without a single advisory point, something that has been the case since records begin…

As such, the online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The car also comes with a number of expired MOT certificates and tax discs, and a type-written record of its previous MOT tests, plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also comes with a copy of the old V5 card, and a factory workshop manual in a ring binder.

The paperwork additionally includes a letter that shows it was supplied new in March 1956 by Glovers of Ripon to a Dr J F E Johnson of Sunderland. There is also a letter written by the second owner, a Mr. Harry Cecil Brown of Leeds, in which he details his reluctance to part with the car. He also talks about its appearances in TV programmes such as Stay Lucky starring Dennis Waterman, and the Michael York film Till We Meet Again.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to the very highest standard.

NB. We know that you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on. Or, even better, contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call, where you can direct us in real-time.

A car of this era reminds of just how far we’ve fallen; at a time when people buy their cars on a PCP and give their choice the same degree of attention as they do their washing machine or dishwasher, a Silver Cloud shows you just how well engineered and built cars were, back-in-the-day.

And this one wears its decades far more lightly than most; if you’re impressed by the photos, then we can confidently state that it’s just as good in the flesh, if not better.

That it is one of the best still in existence – and arguably, the best - doesn’t necessarily translate into a high purchase price because we think it will sell for between £36,000 and £42,000, or the sort of sum you could spend if you were splashing out on a top-of-the-range Ford Focus.

This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.