Here’s a somewhat unexpected PR shot of an American suburban family about to go off for a ride in their new R-R Silver Cloud. Dad must have been doing what he does pretty successfully, as it cost $12,800 ($130k adjusted) back at a time when real incomes were significantly lower and marginal taxes were much higher. Which explains why they’re walking out of a one story ranch house, which was the norm back then even for very successful types.
That’s not to say that there weren’t plenty of folks in American that could afford a new Roller, which is of course where the largest percentage of them ended up. The smart move would have been to wait a year, when the new 6.2 L V8 replaced the venerable 4.9 L F-head six, making all of 155 hp. That’s $82/hp; but who’s counting? For what it’s worth, a 310 hp Cadillac 60 Special cost a bit less than one-half of the Silver Cloud.
“Father, I’m afraid that we are rather over dressed for dining at Kentucky Fried Chicken.”
I haven’t seen one of those wishing wells in a long time, but I do have the twins of the post lights at the curb, starting to look their age.
The Rolls is blocking the view of the black lawn jockey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_jockey
I actually remember seeing one in the 1950’s in the middle class NE suburb I grew up in. People (including me) didn’t get the racism involved in the image. Never saw a Rolls though – something like a Buick or a Country Squire would be more typical for this family in this house.
Lawn jockeys were weirdly common in central Kentucky as recently as 20 years ago; maybe they still are. Perhaps because of proximity to all the horse farms.
They are still very common in northern Kentucky around Louisville.
I drove a delivery truck delivering building materials to job sites throughout eastern New England in the mid 80’s. I saw everything from the top of the heap to the bottom. A most memorable delivery was to the house on Cape Cod owned by a black family (I’m as white as paper) who had a lawn jockey in their front yard holding a lantern but the face was painted white. I busted a gut laughing about it and told the home owner how much I liked it. I got quite chuckle out of his lawn jockey and he got quite a chuckle out of my reaction to it. Priceless!
If I ever own a house, I’m getting a lawn jockey and hitching one of those plastic flamingos to it.
Suspect the family are making a house call to their servants. Hope it wasn’t to serve them their notice…
Strange shot. The car really is at odds with the nondescript Rancher style house. Perhaps one of those 1920s mansions would have been better. Perhaps Clark Gable would not give permission to photograph outside his house.. .
In Sept. 1961, my dad replaced the rusty ’49 Star Chief, with a new Austin 850 (Mini)……for $850.
He purchased it from a “British Motors” outfit in NYC. They’d positioned the Austin next to a white Rolls such as this.
7-yr. old Me had to climb into the RR. I was, of course, impressed with the leather, the wood grain, and the bar glasses.
I then called out that “Hey, this costs the same as our [recently purchaed] house!” (28K)
Loudmouth kid ….
That’s $8400 with trade in (which couldn’t have been worth very much) in 2022 money. Deal.
My father worked for the TTC which ran the public transit in Toronto. Around this time or maybe a couple of years later he took me through the bus barns and shop. I remember seeing a GM city bus with the engine being worked on, with the cylinder head off. It was massive. I asked my dad how much a bus cost and his answer was about the same as a Rolls Royce. He added that a “highway bus” would be about 2 Rolls.
Such a bizarre photo…
One word, Plastics !
He was rights! Site in a 1971 GM big car sometime…
Thanx for posting this! I’m a classic car hobbyist from the late 60s forward, when I was about 16 yrs old. (I’m 69 now). I esp enjoyed the comparison to the caddie with more HP and 1/2 the price. British cars, IIRC, always had a bad rep for breaking down and falling apart.
Ive heard of that breaking down rumour but after dozens of end of life British cars it is only a rumour when they do finally fail they are well and truly worn and rusted out, I have a 66 Hillman currently that is as reliable as the sun, I started it last Sunday for the first time in weeks it started on the button right away and went into daily drive mode without a murmur. YMMV.
I’ve heard and read those horror stories too. Assembly quality varied; maybe some brands were better than others? Aussie-built British Fords were often dreadfully assembled but went forever; Aussie built BMC/BL cars seemed to be quite well-built, but local engineering seemed to give rise to more breakdowns. I think a lot of it boils down to what you (or your local mechanics) are used to working on, along with parts supply.
Of course once Japanese cars came along, why take a chance with British?
New Zealand assembled BMC/BL were the best so I read. British built Fords were better made than BMC and more modern. Parent American influence.
What a beautiful car. Being a Cadillac fan, this made me think about the new Cadillac Celestiq being introduced (the all new EV with a price tag around $300,000). Being car people, I’m sure most on here have seen and read about it already. If you have, then I’d be interested to hear the thoughts about the rear end on the Celestiq. To me, it’s terrible looking in the back.
So that brings me to the picture of this (what I feel is beautiful) RR with what may have been a very controversial rear end in it’s day. Who knows. Maybe years down the road I’ll be saying how beautiful the Celestiq is??
Its rear is like nothing else on the road except the Lyriq, which is the important thing for expensive cars. The front looking like a half-plastic clam bothers me more. Considering their 21st century RWD sedans all have puny trunks, the hatchback doesn’t bug me. Supposedly, Cadillac will have a mass-produced large EV sedan that might be more normal-looking.
My thought on the Celestiq is that they really should’ve shown it first to launch their new design direction on the halo car first with the mass-market model to follow. At least there’s no mistaking the two, like with the N-bodies vs Eldo-Toro-Riv.
To be fair, I wonder how much power the “310 hp” [gross] Cadillac really made.
I don’t know if this image was used in an actual ad, but if it was, my guess is that in ran in the New Yorker – RR ran numerous Silver Cloud ads in the New Yorker in 1957-58, more than in any other publication, and this isn’t completely out of line with some of the other images.
As far as I know, this was the first Rolls-Royce marketed in the US as an owner-driven (as opposed to chauffeured) car, so some of those RR ads showed their cars in “everyday” settings. The one below is an example – a couple washing their car in the driveway and chatting with a neighbor. Even the famous “electric clock” ad (“At 60 mph, the loudest noise in this car comes from the electric clock”) – probably the most memorable RR ad ever – had an image showing kids walking to the car after picking up groceries.
Still, this image seems more “ordinary” than the others, so I would like to figure out though, if this was part of an ad, or some other kind of promotion. Not the setting I’d expect to find a Rolls-Royce in.
Eric, I love these ads, and yes, they were from the New Yorker.
One of the interesting things mentioned in the text is the change from the red background to the black background on the R-R grill emblem. It mentions the reason for the change was as a memorial to Sir Henry Royce who died at that time.
That said, for the past 3 decades the factory has officially insisted the actual reason was because the approved conservative coachbuilders were concerned the bright red color was too flashy for the formal body styles they were creating. I’ve seen the internal corporate paperwork where the decision to “go black” was made some months before Sir Henry’s death, but no specific reason was given for the change.
I suspect it’s just a PR photo and not one used in an ad. There were gobs of these PR photos shot by all the car makers, presumably to be given out to the press to use or such. Almost invariably, they’re not in the same league as actual ad photos, which are more carefully thought out and set for the specific purpose of the ad. Ad agencies had a higher level of sophistication than PR agencies.
That PR shot in this post is pretty lame, frankly. The one in the ad you show is a whole different ballgame.
Reading the fine print, I see that the optional extras included an espresso machine, a bed, and hot and cold water. Who knew? That’s quite an array of gadgets for a car with a pretty small interior. And I thought the Imperial’s Mobile Director option was a big deal!
Jonathan,
Those were typical accessories available from a semi-custom coachbuilder called Harold Radford. They were a major retailer of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars in London, specializing in offering the gentry various bespoke equipment and fitments, to new or used vehicles. I’m enclosing a couple of photos from Anton Van Luijk showing a 3/4 view of a 1954 Bentley “R” type with the Radford rear hatch, and a close-up of the boot area with the tea kettle on the left, and the expresso machine on the right.
I restored a 1957 Bentley S-1 with a Radford conversion, among other special features, it had a slide-out trunk base and the 2 bumper uprights had round recesses in the top that 2 round padded leather stool tops fit into, so 2 people could have a picnic at the rear of the car.
Bill, did those rear seat backs fold down too, like a modern hatchback?
Paul,
On this example, yes, they fold flat individually, this was another Radford accessory.
Also of note, the Bentley in the first photo is a hand built body from the cowl on back, and as such it’s a fairly rare example of Radfor’d’s coachbuilding, as by 1954 probably 90% of their work was in modifying existing cars to match owner’s requirements.
Note the raised coachline curving down the central part of the doors, this was found on more than a few Radford cars. Looking closely, one can see that squared off line disappears at the forward line of the rear wing [fender], and re-appears in the spat [fender skirt], continuing all the way down along the bottom of the rear fender. It’s this kind of attention to detail that ensured Radford was an approved R-R & Bentley coachbuilder.
I saw a picture of a Rolls-Royce with custom interior. It had a toilet under a cushion in the back seat, gold plated of course.I`m NOT making this up. I think it was a custom 53`or 54′.
RE Comment.a 1954 Silver Wraith with custom bodywork.
Phil,
Yes, The R-R factory has always had a policy where they would build you a car anyway you wanted, as long as certain requirements were met:
1. You could afford to pay the bill.
2. The designs were legal.
3. The changes were safe [for example, nothing blocking forward vision.].
4. The changes were in keeping with the overall “Look and dignity” of Rolls-Royce & Bentley.
I know of a few Rolls-Royces that had toilets fitted, including my 1932 Hooper-bodied 20/25 Saloon, it was made for a member of Parliament who used to drive home on the weekends from London to his estate in Northern Scotland. He would camp by the side of the road, and the back area converted into a bed. The toilet was similar to a chamber pot, and stowed away in a special compartment in the boot. The rear seat was hinged at the top edge and would be swung upwards, allowing access to the rear boot.
I have never seen a Silver Cloud ad that was for any other market other than the US or the UK home market. They took opposite approaches with their ads, an “ordinary” setting and full-page wall of text for Americans, a typical old-money one and nothing more than “Rolls-Royce, The Best Car In The World” and the address of the London showroom on Conduit Street for British audiences.
I think Rolls-Royce is due some credit for figuring out that selling to wealthy Americans warranted a different approach than selling in their home market. I bet plenty of RR executives in Britain cringed at these ads.
Another bit of US Silver Cloud marketing was that the company organized a cross-country caravan of Silver Clouds, traveling to various dealerships and spending a few days at each stop showing their cars off to the public. Many of these dealerships were new franchises, since Rolls-Royce used the Silver Cloud as an opportunity to expand into new markets like Texas and Florida, where there were few sales prior to the mid 1950s. Seems like a pretty innovative and down-home strategy for a company with as stodgy a reputation as Rolls-Royce.
The driveway car wash scene at least looks like an upscale suburban NY or NJ location. The featured ad looks like a Bay Area or LA subdivision. Our 1954 house in Los Altos, between San Francisco and San Jose had the same brick partial facia, fake shutters, and garage shake roof extending lower than the main roof. No RR’s in our neighborhood, at least not in the ‘90’s-2000’s when we lived there.
I grew up (late 60s-70s) in a house that was literally a block away from what was then the most affluent town in the USA, Scarsdale, NY (Maybe it still is, I dunno.) Even with frequent trips into NYC, I never saw a privately-driven RR until the early 80s.
in 1980, at the age of 16, I was working for a valet parking subcontractor who serviced the absolutely toniest country clubs in Westchester County, NY. Even then, there were only a couple members of these fancy clubs that had Rolls-Royce cars.
When we visited NYC in 1964, I saw at least two of these in Manhattan, my first of the brand.
Were they driven by their owners? The only RR I saw in those days had uniformed chauffeurs.
Don’t know; they were parked at the curb.
On a family vacation to New England in 1974, I saw a white RR convertible at a gas station in Port Jervis, New York. Even better, the young lady in the passenger seat was wearing a fur coat! It seemed almost like a photoshoot, but no cameras were visible if so.
I rode in one of this model Rolls when it was only a few years old, very nice as a passenger I was too young to have a turn at the wheel, the scenery told you it was moving thats all.My dad at the time had a near new Vauxhall Velox also quiet and comfortable but very tractor like compared to that Roller
Here’s the tea kettle and expresso!
Thanks for the photo – I was wondering just where those sort of accessories would fit. Somehow, I imagined them in the rear seat area. The trunk (sorry, boot) makes more sense!
OK, I have to chime in here and say that this is a bizarre photo. I’ll agree with Paul about the late 50s economics and the commonality of ranch houses, but THIS ranch house is oddly down-market…particularly for folks dressed like this, riding in a RR. The fake well (that was definitely a lawn ornament, even 70 years ago) is particularly odd. As is the lack of any sort of yard. There’s nothing here that speaks to the desirability or aspirations necessary for advertising at the time (and most times).
It seems that the narrative is that Mr. and Mrs. Hamburg Hat/Mink Stole (and family) have somehow wound up visiting Mrs. Mink Stole’s poor relations – or perhaps clients at Mr. Hamburg Hat’s bank? (a la Mr. Drysdale from the Beverly Hillbillies) They were invited for lunch, but after discovering nothing but potato salad (sans Grey Poupon), pimento cheese spread on white bread, and jello mold with carrots and an icky mayonnaise (“Known as Best Foods West of the Rockies!”) dressing have now decided to beat a hasty retreat back to their suite in the Fairmont.
Not exactly an image that’s going to sell many cars. Better perhaps to leave the advertising to that Ogilvy chap.
https://swiped.co/file/rolls-royce-ad-by-david-ogilvy/
Funny, when I first saw the image, I’d assumed it was a ranch house – as in a house on a ranch. More specifically, a country house of an affluent city family who would be typical Rolls-Royce customers. But then I saw the other buildings in the distance under the hills, and wasn’t so sure about that.
But, as an admirer of mid-century ranch houses, I approve either way!
It reminds me quite a bit of the ranch house we bought in Tarzana, in the San Fernando Valley. There were hills very nearby too. Our subdivision was built in the early-mid 50s. It had been the ranch of Edgar Rice Burroughs, who created the character Tarzan.
I just looked up homes in Tarzana; I definitely see the resemblance.
Wonder if he had a Rolls and did he lend it out to RR for their well thought out as campaign?.
RRs response to the campaign was” We will have to do some thing about that bloody load clock !”. Ford said its 66 LTD was quieter than the Rolls. Rr should have brought the clocks from Ford.
A coach at my college had a white one of these around 1980 that he would bring out for campus events. Come to think of it, it was probably the only unusual car I saw there. Preppy girls with 320i’s were a dime a dozen by the time I graduated. I did get a ride from one in a 70s 300D with over 100k miles that looked brand new inside.
A pretty car to my eyes .
British cars were not unreliable per se, they were incredibly poorly assembled and so suffered problems .
I’ve had a few and think they’re great although needing to go through one bumper to bumper before using it as a daily driver kinda killed them off in the USA .
This style of ranch house still exists in Hastings Ranch, an affluent neighborhood just East of Pasadena, Ca. .
-Nate
Regarding the rarity of RR, I’ve seen a few over the years, but not a whole lot. I did see one fairly regularly though, I was the head mechanic for a small chain of bowling centers and the owner had one, perhaps a little newer than the one pictured, but not much. This was in the early 80’s. It was a toy for him to show off, along with his ’58 Corvette, which probably saw even less driving time.
On the other hand, he was a cheapskate about cars. He drove a Ford pickup mostly, the drivers door was banged in from an accident, and frustrated with it not staying latched he had me screw it shut one time. That was the one RR owner I knew first hand.
I remember as a kid thinking “gee I hope we never get so rich that our family has to drive that ugly thing!”
“Gee Mr. (Dad’s boss), your car is almost as quiet as our Ford!”
I wasn’t going to, but – oh, why not! 🙂
Peter,
Are you showing off your American version, back when they were assembled in Lancaster Pennsylvania? LOL
The drapery treatments seem a little overdone for a Valley ranch house but are probably in keeping with this particular family’s aspirations. A weird, awkward but fun photo. Especially the boy holding his sister’s hand. I had forgotten about those fake wishing wells. So much of that era one wants to forget, not only the wishing wells and lawn jockeys but especially the metallic globes on ceramic stands that decorated many yards of my Midwestern childhood. Paul Fussell describes them as “lavender basketball-size shiny spheres resting on fluted cast-concrete pedestals,” an obvious class step above the more pedestrian versions I remember in our neighborhood as gold or silver balls on plain ceramic stands. I don’t think I ever saw a Rolls-Royce, outside of watching Burke’s Law on TV or reading Motor Trend’s annual imported car issue, until I moved to SoCal in 1972.
It’s funny you mention those reflective balls on pedestals, my elder sister who lives in Silver Springs, Md. (a D.C. suburb) has one in her front yard, I remember them in older Victorian homes , she says she loves it .
-Nate
Those are called gazing balls. The only place that I can declare them to be appropriate is on the South Pole.
Is that quote from Paul Fussell’s Class: A Guide Through the American Status System? I read it many years ago, and it’s very good. He devotes some ink to the class implications of various cars.
Tom McCahill at Mechanix Illustrated once did a piece on the Silver Cloud. He wrote that if you could afford it and were in a line of work where it was important to drive a prestigious car, keeping a Silver Cloud for years might be cheaper than eating the depreciation on a year-old Cadillac every year, and it would be more prestigious. I suppose he had a point, but I wonder how a Silver Cloud and a Cadillac would compare for the cost of upkeep. Not the sort of tradeoff I’ve ever had to think about.
The RR is airbrushed in. A ranch house family wouldn’t have owned a new one. It would be showing off. And ” un American”. In Dallas, where I lived 55 years, I only saw a few, and I got around a lot. One in a wealthy neighborhood. One in the road chauffeuring an elegant older lady. One at the country club, and one it a luxurious townhomes. 2 prominent gay business men owned one. Rolls were considered too foreign & effeminate. Many more Jaguars and Mercedes. Mostly Cadillac city. Ross Perot lived at first in a ranch house but was unconcerned with status symbols. Dallas has changed as much as or more as automobiles have. There were a few Rolls Royce in Lubbock Texas, and the homes were modest and unassuming. One of the big spenders in east texas drive one. H. L. Hunt bought one for his first wife. James Dean sat in one in Giant.
As a car crazed kid in St. Louis I remember a few then near new Rolls Royce cars back in the 60s.
But it was 2 other new cars that got my attention.
One was a green Mercedes 600 owned by an older couple who lived nearby.. The husband was in the scrap metal business and used a Studebaker as a work car. His wife used the 600 to run errands during the week.
The second was a gold Ferrari 250 Lusso. I never saw anyone in or around the Lusso.