MAKE & MODELS OVERIVIEW

The Silver Cloud III was first displayed to the public at the Paris salon at the beginning of October 1962 but along with the Bentley S3 the cars were displayed on a specialist coachwork stand as if the modifications were to the special order of a particular customer.  External dimensions were slightly altered, the interior remodeled, the weight reduced by a little over 100 kg (220 lb) and improvements made to the engine which included fitting 2-inch (51 mm) SU carburetors in place of the ​1 ³⁄₄ inch units used on the Series II Silver Cloud.   The compression ratio was increased to 9:1, reflecting the higher octane levels of premium fuel in major markets,  although the option of a lower 8:1 compression ratio was still offered in markets where non-availability of higher octane fuels might be an issue.  Rolls-Royce, as before, refused to disclose overall engine power output, but indicated that there had been an improvement of “perhaps 7%”.   Increased power and weight reduction boosted speed and performance slightly. The engine now included a nitride hardened crankshaft to reflect the extra power being generated and in response to reports of broken crankshafts in the earlier V8 Silver Clouds.  The transmission was a GM Hydramatic which Rolls-Royce used under license.  The headlights were grouped in a four-headlamp layout subsequently continued in the later Silver Shadow. Other external changes included a slightly increased slope of the bonnet to correspond with a 1 ¹⁄₂ inches (3.8 cm) reduction in radiator grille height.