Description

1962 Rolls-Royce Cloud III James Young Owner/Driver Saloon

The first of just 17 non-division SCT100 bodied Cloud IIIs by James Young; lots of history; ex Jack Barclay Motorshow car; very elegant and ready to enjoy

The first of just 17 owner-driver LWB Cloud IIIs bodied by Coachbuilders James Young, this imperious Rolls-Royce was delivered by Jack Barclay in November 1962 to Mr Stanley Thorpe of Surrey. The invoice, signed by Jack Barclay himself, amounted to £8,136 – over £175,000 in today’s money!

Before it was handed over, we are led to believe that Jack Barclay displayed it on their stand at the 1962 Earls Court Motorshow, prior to wearing its first registration number KT 9.

Sharing the Cloud IIIs LWB chassis with the generously proportioned Phantom V, this particularly elegant coachwork is often referred to by its James Young body code - SCT100. Rare and desirable, the sharp lines mask its size and give it a "slightly boastful" appearance in the words of its current owner. He adds "the Rolls accelerates and steams along with great gusto, surprisingly able to pick up its skirts and run.  There's really nothing like the view along the great bonnet, past the Spirit of Ecstasy to put a smile on your face and make you feel proud of Rolls-Royce' in the 1960's - the car continues to be a joy nearly 60 years later and copes well with modern traffic".

The coachwork is principally made of aluminium, including the door skins and boot-lid so the car is not nearly as heavy as one might think.  
A full set of factory chassis records list chassis number CAL5 as being bodied by James Young and painted Rolls-Royce Velvet Green with Champagne VM3420 Connolly upholstery. Its first owners kept the car until 1968 when it went into the ownership of James Young themselves, Jack Barclay handing a subsequent sale in 1972. It then went to live in Sacremento California, before being repatriated in 1989 by C.A.R Howard who sold the car very quickly to a client for £55,000. It was in their possession until 2001. Both Vintage and Prestige, and marque experts P&A Wood handled the car in the intervening years, our vendor purchasing it in 2017 through Specialists NRT Motors, who subsequently looked after the car. We understand that it has only covered some 2,200 miles in the last 22 years, but thanks to a significant file of bills and invoices (back to 2001), remains on the button and ready to go. It also comes with a 1963 James Young coachwork brochure, showing the SCT100  body-style, the image of which may well be this car. As recently as June this year, a £2,350 bill saw a new power steering pipe, full service and an air conditioning service which we are advised now blows nice and cold. As an owner/driver configuration, the SCT100 coachwork does not have a division, ensuring the driver gets plenty of room and doesn’t have to feel like the ‘hired hand’. This is just one of the many appeals of this car, which has excellent paintwork, good panel fits, good leather and excellent wood trim. Hidden within the rear armrest is its original companion set consisting of a clothes brush and vanity mirror. We can also confirm that all four electric windows operate as they should. A short trip during photography showed a smooth and sprightly power delivery, fully operational gearbox and that superb view down the bonnet, revealing the rear shoulder of the radiator grille which is a feature of all ‘proper’ Rolls- Royce motor cars.

For more information - contact Matthew Parkin 07813 936698 matthew.parkin@brightwells.com