Marking the end of a long, proud era of independent British coachbuilding, chassis number LCFL39 was the last long-wheelbase Silver Cloud III built with custom coachwork and one of the final custom bodies produced by the UK’s last extant private coachbuilding firm, James Young Ltd., of Bromley, Kent.

It is one of two long-wheelbase Silver Cloud IIIs built to unique designs, in this case James Young’s style number SC179, a variant of their popular SCT100, the touring limousine known as the “Baby Phantom” for its resemblance to a scaled-down Phantom V. This design incorporates the SCT100’s distinctive features, such as a “turtleback” semi-fastback trunk lid and a sweeping fender line, while adding Hooper-style rear quarter windows, with their distinctive curved trailing edge. The result, accented by a two-tone finish in Honey Beige and Coffee Bean Brown, was subtle and elegant. It was also well optioned, with its accessories including factory air conditioning, picnic tables, a rear compartment radio, and a division window.

The car was originally delivered to Robert F. Carney, who at the time was the chairman of the board of Foote, Cone & Belding, the world’s third-largest advertising agency, with offices in the newly completed Pan Am Building at 200 Park Avenue in Manhattan. It was sent to Mr. Carney’s weekend home on Captains Neck Lane in Southampton, an area where he was a prominent resident and philanthropist.

The Rolls passed in 1967 to J.P. Wade Levering, a former foundry owner who had established a successful second career in retirement as a yacht broker in Southern Florida, and in 1970 to Louis J. Stone, of Fort Lauderdale. It then moved back to the Northeast, spending time at the du Pont family estate at Winterthur in Delaware and with Mrs. Eleanor B. Shults, of New York City, before joining the long-term ownership of Allen R. Howard in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.

The Silver Cloud III was eventually acquired from Mr. Howard for the corporate collection of Carriage House Motor Cars, the successful independent Rolls-Royce dealership in Manhattan. When the Manhattan showroom closed in 1994, the company collection was sold by Sotheby’s, and this car was acquired by its present owner, in whose world-class stable it has remained well maintained ever since. As this car has been stored in the owner's climate-controlled private museum for an extended period, minor mechanical sorting would be recommended prior to extended road use.

The car is documented by original build information, including detailed copies of its chassis and engine cards, the original invoice to Mr. Carney, correspondence between various owners, and Rolls-Royce Foundation ownership records. This is a beautiful one-off Silver Cloud III in highly original condition, deserving of a place in any connoisseur’s collection.