Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn
Rolls- Royce Silver Dawn Sedan (1954 )
The Rolls -Royce Silver Dawn (English: Silver Dawn ) was a passenger car, the Rolls- Royce built in the years 1949-1955 at its factory in Crewe. It was the first Rolls- Royce with factory bodywork. The chassis was a modified version of the Silver Wraith, and on this basis the built until 1952 Bentley Mark VI was provided with a factory body. Then with minimal changes (radiator, hood, instruments ) of the Silver Dawn was developed from the Bentley. A further modification was built to 1955 Bentley R-Type. First, the Silver Dawn was introduced as an export model. The left-hand drive version had steering wheel gearshift. It was only in October 1953, the then identical with the Bentley R-Type Silver Dawn was available in the UK.
In six years, a mere 760 copies were made . Early models up to about May 1954 had a different dashboard than the Bentley - types and an exhaust with only one tube. Later models had the same dashboard as the Bentley and also the two-pipe exhaust, as in the Bentley R-Type. With the standard steel cars the sheet metal parts differed in the entire production period before the bulkhead slightly from those of the Bentley.
The against -controlled ( Inlet over Exhaust ) inline six- cylinder engine had the cylinder head hanging inlet valves and side outlet valves. The engine displacement of 4257 cm ³ was originally in 1951 increased to 4566 cc. Until 1952 was a downdraft gasifier Single, Make Stromberg, in use. Then he was replaced by a Zenith carburetor.
First, the cars were only available with four-speed manual transmission, from 1952, the car with a chassis of the E series (which the chassis of the Bentley R- series corresponded ) to ordered with four-stage automatic were. Contrary to popular claims, the automatic transmission was never delivered as standard and there was the fully synchronized manual to adjust the model.
Front wheels were individually suspended by coil springs, rear, there was a driven rigid axle on longitudinal leaf springs. The cars had until 1953 a riveted frame, from this point on the frame were welded. The braking system was partially hydraulically; front Hydraulic brakes with brake booster and drums were fitted with 311 mm diameter and rear mechanical brakes were (System Hispano -Suiza ) in use. The Silver Dawn was offered / sold both as a complete car ( with factory-made bodies) as well as a chassis. The chassis, the buyer could be tailored to an individual build-up during Stellmacher / Coach Builder. Harold Radford Coachbuilders built on customer request, the series car bodies in Countryman called models, which received a large tailgate while largely retaining the plant body and could be provided with picnic utensils and folding seats.
A Silver Dawn with factory body and automatic transmission was tested in 1954 by the British magazine The Motor and found to a top speed of 151 km / h and acceleration from 0-100 km / h in 15.2 s fixed. The fuel consumption was 18.3 l/100 km. The test car cost £ 4704 including VAT.