A Rolls-Royce with finned fenders may seem like travesty to some but I'll forgive the sin because of the period when it was built. At that time many Detroit products came with fender fins, following the jet-fighter design instincts of GM's head designer Harley Earl. But even more remarkable for a Rolls-Royce is that this car, a Silver Cloud Drophead Coupe, is a two-seater, complete with disappearing top. Because of its limited seating capacity and ample trunk space, journalists reviewing the car at the Earls Court show dubbed it the "Honeymoon Express."
The rolling chassis was delivered to Freestone & Webb in London on March 11, 1958. While most mid-1950s Rolls-Royces had graceful, gently rounded side panels, the body sides of this car featured concave coves that stretched from stem to stern, with rear fenders that featured aggressive vertical tail fins. It was painted in two-tone Lugano Blue with Silver Chalice coves. In its day a rather daring design! Only three were built. This one still carries its original engine stamp SE385, has just 42,070 miles on the odometer, and is accompanied by its original British registration plate, AM2375.
Personally I'd be delighted to own the car and can easily visualise a leisurely honeymoon trip from the Riviera to Paris with a new bride by my side (the young beauty who, sadly, only appears in my dreams) but both Rolls-Royce and bride are beyond my means. You, however (assuming you're reasonably well off) can bid on this or many other great classics, at RM's Monaco auction on May 12th. Rest assured you will get noticed, probably more than the latest Lamborghini.
Firstly, Bently isn't British anymore, VW own them. Rolls Royce are owned by BMW so are not British eteihr. And I assume by MGM you mean MG Rover? They arent British and are owned by Tata Motors in India.So really the only car that is British there is Aston Martin, Although owned by Ford and Kuwait investment company they do not own 100% between them. And So it is really your only choice for a British car. Which I would have said anyway.
Posted by: Nur | 04/24/2012 at 02:14 PM