Rolls-Royce was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's reputation established with his cranes they quickly developed a reputation for superior engineering by manufacturing the "best car in the world". The First World War brought them into manufacturing aero-engines. Joint development of jet engines began in 1940 and they entered production.

Rolls-Royce has built an enduring reputation for development and manufacture of engines for defence and civil aircraft.

In the late 1960s, Rolls-Royce became hopelessly crippled by the mismanaged development of its advanced RB211 jet engine and the consequent cost over-runs, though it ultimately proved a great success. In 1971, the owners were obliged to liquidate their business. The useful portions were bought by a new government-owned company named Rolls-Royce (1971) Limited which continued the core business but sold the holdings in British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) almost immediately and transferred ownership of the profitable but now financially insignificant car division to Rolls-Royce Motors Holdings Limited. This it sold to Vickers in 1980.

A marketing survey in 1987 showed that only Coca-Cola was a more widely known brand than Rolls-Royce.

The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud was produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from April 1955 to March 1966. It was the core model of the Rolls-Royce range during that period. The Silver Cloud replaced the Silver Dawn and was, in turn, replaced by the Silver Shadow. The J. P. Blatchley design was a major change from the pre-war models and the highly derivative Silver Dawn. As part of a range rationalisation the Bentley S1 is very similar, apart from its radiator grille. Construction was body-on-frame, which permitted special bodied versions, though the overwhelming majority were built with the standard Pressed Steel Company manufactured steel body shell. A light-weight aluminium-based alloy was used for doors, bonnet/hood and boot/trunk lid. The chassis was a simple steel box section, welded together and very rigid. The car was 5.38 m (212 in) long, 1.90 m (75 in) wide, and massed 1.95 tonnes.

The Silver Cloud II was introduced in 1959. It was little changed externally, but was given a new Rolls-Royce developed 6.2 L V8 engine, which pushed the weight to 2.11 tonnes. Performance was greatly improved and top speed was raised to 183 km/h (114 mph), but the main improvements were in acceleration and torque. Power steering became standard. Electrically operated windows were now available as an option.

This highly desirable Silver Cloud II benefits from long term collector ownership, has alwyas been stored in a climate controlled facility and treated with the respect and care that it deserves. The car is in mechanically excellent condition, it starts right up and runs and drives well. The brakes have just been completely rebuilt with new soft hoses, are very strong, and the Transmission shifts smoothly. The interior appears largely original and in very good to excellent condition- the Leather is soft and supple with minimal cracking, the Woodwork is beautifully finished. The Paint and Brightwork are in good overall condition, and would polish up nicely-which was not done prior to these photos. Finished in an attractive Dove Grey over Metallic Blue with matching Grey full Leather seating and rear seat picnic tables and vanities; this car oozes luxury like few cars can.

These lovely Cars exhibit all that's best about Rolls Royce with their classic styling and rugged reliability. This is a timeless design, that forever identifies the owner as a person of taste and distinction.