Test drive Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn: Little Lord
How Rolls-Royce interprets the idea of a compact car
The first manufacturer-bodied Rolls-Royce is designed as an owner-driven car for the US market. The plan didn't work, and his twin brother did. The Bentley R outsold it. Today, the exquisite Silver Dawn is a sweet and responsive rarity with all the virtues of a famous brand.
Because of his festive look, he looks like a typical car veteran for wedding celebrations. The only thing missing is a bouquet on the slit front cover behind a graceful figure above the radiator, which looks like she is wearing a wedding dress. But Silver Dawn promises much more than a lifetime alliance. The elegant Rolls-Royce limousine looks like it has been built forever. Heavy doors close with the thick sound of a bank vault, the long-stroke, high-displacement six-cylinder engine whispers with carefree calm and confidence at low revs. Precious materials - whether it's precious wood, Connolly leather or a chrome alpaca pantheon grille - not only look good, but are also extremely durable. For a homemade car with the poetic name Silver Dawn, the sunset is unlikely to come soon.
However, the most important criterion for the almost notorious durability of Rolls-Royce models (until the Silver Shadow appeared in 1965) is the supporting frame made of thick-walled profiles with stable cross members. Rust is powerless against this ridge. Before the introduction of the Silver Dawn in 1949, Rolls-Royce was in the habit of supplying the complete chassis with engine, gearbox and axles to renowned British coachbuilders with big names such as Freestone & Webb, J. Gurney Nutting, Park Ward, Hooper. or HJ Mulliner to dress him up in the body. Aimed at affluent American buyers and relatively inexpensive at £14, the Silver Dawn had to make do with a rather attractive production body. It tasted like classic pre-war styling and was inspired by the factory 000 Bentley Mark VI. There was a certain hidden danger of being mistaken for a three-litre Alvis sedan or an Armstrong Siddeley 1946 - unless it had a majestic radiator. vigorously raised his forehead against the headwind.
Following another Rolls-Royce custom, in late 1952 the Silver Dawn received an almost identical design to the Bentley. R-Type has already debuted with the so-called. "Long Boot", released earlier, was immediately adopted by Silver Dawn.
Refined restraint
The meeting with our "Short Tail" takes place at the Hohenkammer Palace in the Freising district. As a backdrop for a photo shoot, the location is perfect for Silver Dawn. Like the exquisite Midnight Blue car, its architecture exudes a sophisticated nobility without looking overly feudal. The little Rolls slowly approaches with a slight rustle, the loudest sound it makes is the crunching of fine gravel under the well-inflated bias-ply super-balloon tires.
The car was about to miss the prospect of eternal life. An enthusiastic motorcycle enthusiast Siegfried Amberger accidentally found it in the United States in a completely neglected state. And because he felt sorry for the little lord, it underwent an expensive partial restoration that made the Argent Dawn look more magnificent than ever from the factory in Crewe. Details such as hand-drawn lines on the lacquered surface show this.
We walk around the car, full of respect, then the "suicide door" on the left opens invitingly. By the time we get a feel for it, we're already sitting in the Silver Dawn for the first time behind the truck's large, upright steering wheel. The variable displacement six-cylinder engine with overhead intake and standing exhaust valves (called “ioe” in English, “intake over exhaust”) is already warm and idling below the threshold of auditory perception. "Don't turn it on again," was the warning from the next location. We quickly shift into first gear with a solid lever on the steering wheel. To the whine of the straight cogs of the transmission, the elegant interior begins to move. It is clear that the first gear is not synchronized and serves only to start, so we immediately go to the second. Now it gets a lot quieter, then a little more comfortable, according to our subjective feeling, we move on to the third and finally to the fourth.
Intermediate thrust instead of revs
The reserve of intermediate thrust in an ultra-long-stroke engine is simply incredible. This unit is manifested not in speed, but in abundant torque. Acceleration is quite strong - Rolls has three times more power than a single Mercedes 170 S of the same years. The speedometer needle shows 80, a little later 110. Unfortunately, there is no tachometer, instead beautiful instruments with white numbers on a black background provide comprehensive information about oil pressure, water temperature and available fuel. On this hot summer day, everything is in the green zone, which we enjoy with the sunroof open. However, the clutch is quite heavy and it is not easy to follow the winding roads around Hohenkammer with extremely indirect steering. The Silver Dawn doesn't show much desire to enter corners, so it needs to be steered with a steady hand to obediently follow its desires, and the steering wheel must be turned at a large angle.
Despite all this, the sleek interior is not a clumsy stretcher; after 20 km the initial feeling of excessive rigidity disappears. If you drive more and respect this precious antique car less, you will feel almost something like dynamics. Here, the Silver Dawn manifests itself as an owner-driven model capable of delighting you without a driver. The chassis with independent front suspension and even drum brakes (curiously hydraulic at the front and cabled at the rear) match the engine's relatively high horsepower.
Unfortunately, Silver Dawn, which was aimed at the US market, was not successful. Connoisseurs of tradition choose the more representative Silver Wraith, while Americans choose the more sporty Bentley R-Type. Only ten years later Silver Shadow successfully realized the idea of the popular Rolls-Royce with the same type of body.
Conclusion
The Silver Dawn's compact size does not negate the typical Rolls-Royce feeling of light weightlessness. It glides along the road almost silently, not slowly, but energetically, and only the sound of the diagonally rolling tires of the balloon gets into my ears. Durable and incredibly flexible, the bike will keep you enthusiastic. You rarely have to change gears; this is a car for those who like to drive.
Text: Alf Kremers
Photo: Ingolf Pompe
