1961 Rolls-RoyceSilver Cloud II
6.2L Aluminium V8 · First V8 Rolls-Royce
Currently in the private collection
Florida, United States · Lubeck Garage
The Silver Cloud II is the moment Rolls-Royce crossed quietly from postwar refinement into modern flagship power. The body kept John Blatchley's formal Silver Cloud shape, but beneath the bonnet sat the company's new 6.2-litre aluminium V8, the first V8 fitted to a Rolls-Royce production car. It preserved the brand's silence-and-authority brief while giving the Cloud the effortless acceleration and torque expected of a state car.
Silver Cloud II
A Silver Cloud II in two-tone livery, the formal John Blatchley coachwork carried unchanged over the new 6.2-litre V8. Wikimedia Commons · order_242 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Full Specifications
Engine
6.2L aluminium V8
0–60 mph
10.9 sec (The Motor, 1960)
Top Speed
104.7 mph (The Motor, 1960)
Transmission
4-speed GM Hydramatic automatic
Power
Undisclosed, by Rolls-Royce tradition
Weight
4,647 lb (2.11 tonnes)
Production
2,417 standard · 258 LWB · 107 coachbuilt
Architecture
Body-on-frame, power steering standard
Chronicle
Key Dates & Events
April 1955
The Silver Cloud line is introduced, replacing the Silver Dawn.
1957
A long-wheelbase Silver Cloud becomes available for formal and rear-passenger use.
1959
The Silver Cloud II is introduced with the new 6.2L V8 and standard power steering.
18 May 1960
The Motor records 104.7 mph and 0–60 in 10.9 seconds in its road test.
1961
Interior updates include blue instrument lighting and a combined indicator and headlamp-flasher control.
1962
Late detail changes include remodelled rear lamps and sealed-beam headlamps.
October 1962
The Silver Cloud III appears, beginning the transition away from the Cloud II.