Description
Chassis SNF47 is a Silver Dawn of unusual distinction: the first UK home-market production car, displayed on the Rolls-Royce stand at Earls Court in 1954, used by both The Autocar (16 Oct 1953) and The Motor for period road tests, and illustrated in the factory’s 1953 sales brochure.
First owned by Sir Frederick Handley Page, it was exported to California in 1962 by Count René de Mallory, repainted from its original Belco Silver to Mason’s Black circa 1963, and returned to Britain in 1988, regaining its original registration RTU 272.
Showing 37, 318 miles, it presents as a Standard Steel Saloon with red leather and walnut, powered by the 4. 566-litre straight-six (Zenith downdraught) and four-speed automatic.
Maintained fastidiously by specialists Hillier Hill for some 15 years with invoices totalling just under £50, 000 (last serviced & MOT April 2025), it is accompanied by a notably complete history file: factory order and build sheets, brochure, period press, log books, toolkit and records.
As a home-market launch car with documented Motor Show exposure, period press usage, and distinguished first ownership, SNF47 sits at a rare intersection of historical significance, originality and documentation.
With about 761 Silver Dawns built, and far fewer with provenance of this calibre, it represents a notable chapter in Rolls-Royce history, and an exceptional opportunity for the next custodian.
Introduced in 1949, the Silver Dawn was the first Rolls-Royce offered with factory-built ‘standard steel’ coachwork, sharing its chassis and body with the Bentley Mk VI and, from late 1952/ 1953, the R-Type-style long-boot body.
Early cars used the 4, 257cc six; from 1951 the engine grew to 4, 566cc, and a four-speed automatic joined the options list in late 1952, alongside the original four-speed manual.
With independent front suspension, a live rear axle on semi-elliptic springs, and servo-assisted drums, the Silver Dawn delivered modern manners without disturbing the brand’s quiet authority.
Produced in limited numbers (c. 761 in total) through 1955, the model stands today as the elegant post-war bridge between coachbuilt tradition and the later Silver Cloud, rarely encountered with provenance to match SNF47.
This important 1953 Silver Dawn is now marketed for sale on behalf of it's owner by Auto Classica Storage and is available for inspection by appointment now.
