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When World War 2 ended, Britain was broke, most of the pre-war coachbuilding companies were gone, and there was little market for hugely expensive chauffer-driven limousines. Although Rolls-Royce was by then a vast specialist engine-building company, producing piston and jet engines, industrial and marine diesels, and a range of military petrol engines, it never seriously thought of quitting the car industry. Instead, it produced a "unified" range of cars sharing many chassis parts, in three basic chassis sizes.

The smallest was supplied complete with a stamped and welded steel body, a first for Rolls-Royce, who had never before built a complete car. Until the War they built only rolling chassis intended for coachbuilders. This small car was still big by British standards, at 2 tonnes and with a 4.25 litre 6-cylinder engine (compared to average English car of the time, say a 1.2 litre Austin A40). It was supplied as a Bentley Mk 6 (twin SU carbs) or Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn (single downdraught Solex carb). The medium size chassis was for coachbuilders only, had a wider track and longer wheelbase than the smaller car, and was called the Silver Wraith (1947-1959). The largest of all was made only for heads of state and royalty, had a 5.7 litre straight-eight and a very long wheelbase, and was called the Phantom 4. Only 13 Phantom 4s were built. They were basically outsized Silver Wraiths, and those who have driven them say they feel very much like a Silver Wraith.

In the early 1950s Bentley offered the remarkable high-performance fastback Bentley Continental R, with half a tonne of weight removed, a taller diff ratio, sleek aerodynamic lines and a top speed well over 100 mph. It is a cult car today.

By 1955 Britain was ready for a bigger, bolder Rolls-Royce than the elegant Silver Dawn, and the result was the statuesque, imposing Silver Cloud and its companion model, the Bentley S. Styled by John Blatchley, these cars were on an all-new chassis, but still ran basically the same 6-cylinder engine as before, bored out to 4.9 litres. All cars were now automatic, and the Bentley no longer had any sporting pretensions.

Rolls-Royce knew the 4.9 litre six wasn't powerful enough for the bigger cars, and had an all-new 6.23 litre alloy V8 in development. The V8 appeared in 1959 in the Series 2 Cloud and S Type Bentleys. In 1962 the front of the cars was restyled with four headlights and became the Series 3 Cloud and S models. Paradoxically, the Cloud and S chassis saw a proliferation of elegant coachbuilt variations. The "Continental" variations became progressively softer, and included a Flying Spur 4-door edition. There were also Rolls-Royce versions of the S-series Continental, including the sensational Koren styled Mulliner Park Ward "Chinese Eye" models.

The Era of Innovation: Silver Shadow and Bentley T, 1965-1980

The Silver Cloud was the last standard production model Rolls-Royce with a separate chassis. The radical new Silver Shadow, announced in late 1965, was a modern monocoque chassis car with all-independent self-levelling suspension, and just about everything possible was power assisted, including the auto transmission selector. The familiar 6.23 V8 was carried forward, soon stroked to 6.75 litres, and they were only available as automatics. There was some controversy about its bland, boxy styling after the curvaceous majesty of the Cloud, but the car stayed in production for an astonishing 15 years, and today it still looks handsome. The shape has aged well, having a quiet dignity.

The Shadow, and it's all-but-identical twin the Bentley T, were soon fathers to an astonishing range of body variations no one thought possible on a monocoque. There were 3 different two-door saloons, a convertible, a long-wheelbase version with or without a chauffer division, a coachbuilt Bentley T by Pininfarina. There was a revamped Series 2 in 1977 with a dramatically revised steering system and US style impact bumpers. Sales were still rising when it was replaced in 1980 by the Silver Spirit. It has been Rolls-Royce's all-time best-seller.

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Series 1 Silver Shadow. Most of this shape were Rolls-Royces; Bentleys were only about 10% of production.	Lines are simple, but elegant. SRH8098.	Long wheelbase version had 10 cm extra in rear door. Most had padded roof and smaller rear window. Some had chauffer divisions.	Coachbuilders James Young built 50 of these two-door saloons. 35 R-Rs, 15 Bentleys.

Plain black wheel. Lots of walnut, Wilton carpet and Connolly leather. Still a true R-R.	Series 2 had rack-and-pinion steering, new dashboard, plus US-style rubber impact bumpers.	The Mulliner-Park Ward 2-door saloon was soon renamed Corniche.Swoopy side panels recalled Cloud. Formerly Elton John's.	Corniche Convertible is much coveted. Same swoopy shell as Corniche saloon. Power top is fully lined and trimmed.

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Bentley Mark 6 with "standard steel" pressed body. Later slightly restyled and renamed Bentley R	The Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn had slightly milder engine tune and different sheet metal at the front. (Real Car Co)	A 1949 Silver Wraith touring limousiner by Hooper, WGC24. There were no Bentley versions of the Silver Wraith

Not all Mark 6's were "standard steel". This is a Hooper, in the "Empress" style (Real Car Co)	Ex Princess Margaret H J Mulliner Phantom 4, 4BP7. It used a 5.7 litre straight eight engine.	The fast, lightweight Bentley Continental R fastback became a legend. There was no R-R version.


Cloud Series 1 and 2 were exactly the same from the outside.This is SZD289, a series 2 with 6.23 V8	Bentley S is all but identical to Rolls-Royce equivalent. 1961 S2 B32CU with 6.23 litre V8	A convertible version of the standard Cloud / S body shell was available. This is a series 2 V8

Cloud Series 3 SJR433 had lower radiator, four headlights. Bentley also available.	"Chinese Eye" Continental was available as saloon or convertible, Rolls-Royce or Bentley	The Flying Spur was a 4-door version of the Continental S, R-R or Bentley identity