Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III

About the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III

The Silver Cloud III arrived in 1963. External dimensions were slightly altered, the interior remodelled, 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 carburettors in place of the 1¾ 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.[4] 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 licence.

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 hood / bonnet to correspond with a 1 1⁄2 inches (3.8 cm) reduction in radiator grille height.