The inspiration for our 1965 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III began with the infamous Grey Poupon commercials debuting in 1981 (Image #1). The 1992 Wayne's World and 1993 Married with Children parodies added fuel to the fire, making a Silver Cloud a bucket list item for us. The M5 car's nickname, "Pou-Pey" was derived from these commercials...
Enjoy some of the commercials in the links below:
1965 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III
Rolls Royce was founded in 1904 in Manchester, England by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The first Rolls-Royce cars, the 10 hp, 15 hp, 20 hp as well as the engine for the 30 hp were unveiled at the Paris Salon in December 1904.
1904-71 Rolls-Royce Limited - Rolls Royce Models produced prior to the 1971 bankruptcy included:
- 1904–06 10 hp
- 1905–05 15 hp
- 1905–08 20 hp
- 1905–06 30 hp
- 1905–06 V-8
- 1906–25 40/50 Silver Ghost
- 1922–29 Twenty
- 1925–29 40/50 Phantom
- 1929–36 20/25
- 1929–35 Phantom II
- 1936–38 25/30
- 1936–39 Phantom III
- 1938–39 Wraith
- 1946–59 Silver Wraith
- **1949–55 Silver Dawn
- 1950–56 Phantom IV
- 1955–65 Silver Cloud (see the Silver Cloud section below)
- 1959–68 Phantom
- 1965–80 Silver Shadow
- 1968–92 Phantom VI
- 1971–2002 Corniche
- **Note: From its establishment, Rolls-Royce didn’t produce complete cars until the introduction of the Silver Dawn in 1949. Instead, early models were badged as Rolls-Royces but supplied with only a framed chassis with engine, gearbox and transmission, to which a body was fitted by a coachbuilder of the customer's choice including Barker & Co., Hooper, H. J. Mulliner & Co., Park Ward and James Young.
1971-73 Rolls-Royce Limited - The original Rolls-Royce Limited was temporarily nationalized by the English government in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine
1973-80 Rolls-Royce Motors - Rolls-Royce Motors was created in 1973 when the English government spun off the Rolls-Royce car business to allow nationalized Rolls-Royce Limited to concentrate on jet engine manufacture
1980-98: Vickers plc acquired Rolls-Royce Motors in 1980 and produced models including:
- 1968–92 Phantom VI
- 1971–2002: Rolls-Royce Corniche (I–V)
- 1980–1997: Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit/Silver Spur
- 1998–2002: Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph
1998-2002 - Volkswagen acquired Rolls-Royce Motors in 1998 (including the car company, factory in Crewe, and Bentley brand). However, the “Rolls-Royce” name and logo trademarks for cars were separately licensed by BMW (from Rolls-Royce plc, the aero-engine company)
- BMW agreed that VW dba Rolls-Royce Motors could legally build the cars at Crewe and sell them as Rolls-Royce up until December 31, 2002 when production would move to BMW
- Models produced included the Silver Seraph, Corniche V, Park Ward Limousine, and a handful of late Silver Spurs.
- The Corniche V is the only Rolls-Royce model launched under Volkswagen holding ownership; the last Rolls-Royce Corniche to date, and with just 384 units built, it remains one of the brand's most exclusive modern series production models.
2003+ - BMW dba Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited took ownership of Rolls-Royce branded cars, moving production from the original Crewe factory to the new Goodwood plant in England. Since 2003, models built under BMW ownership have included:
- 2003–17 Phantom VII
- 2007–16 Phantom Drophead Coupé
- 2008–16 Phantom Coupé
- 2013–22 Wraith
- 2016–22 Dawn
- 2010–present Ghost
- 2017–present Phantom VIII
- 2018–present Cullinan
- 2023–present Rolls-Royce Spectre (electric)
In 1931, Rolls-Royce acquired Bentley, the small sports/racing car maker and potential rival, after the latter's finances failed to weather the onset of the Great Depression.
From 1946 until 2002, Rolls-Royce and Bentley car production moved to Crewe where they began to assemble complete cars with standard Bentley and Rolls-Royce models being nearly identical – Bentleys were badge engineered; only the radiator grille and minor details differed.
In 1998 Volkswagen acquired Bentley Motors Limited along with their acquisition of Rolls-Royce Motors, and has been manufacturing Bentley branded cars at the Crewe factory in England ever since.
In 2021, Audi (owned by Volkswagen), took over Bentley's management while VW remains the parent company at the top level. Bentley models produced since the Volkswagen acquisition include:
- 1998–2009: Arnage
- 2003–2011: Continental GT
- 2005–2013: Continental Flying Spur (Gen 1)
- 2006–2009: Azure (Gen 2)
- 2008–2011: Bentley Brooklands (Gen 2)
- 2010–2020: Mulsanne
- 2011–2018: Continental GT (Gen 2)
- 2013–2019: Flying Spur (Gen 2)
- 2018–2024: Continental GT (Gen 3
- 2016–present: Bentayga
- 2019–present: Flying Spur (Gen 3)
- 2024–present: Continental GT (Gen 4)
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (and sister S-series Bentley) models were built between 1955 and 1965. This series utilizes an old-school separate chassis and features relatively old-fashioned styling. The Silver Cloud and Bentley S1 are the same car save for badging and radiator grille treatments, as are all Rolls-Royce and Bentley models from 1946 onwards (ignoring recent BMW and VW models).
- 1955-59 Silver Cloud I / Bentley S1 - Rolls Royce 4.9-litre straight six in its ultimate, perfected form
- 1959-1962 Silver Cloud II / Bentley S2 - power windows and steering, and early versions of the alloy V8 that would power Rolls-Royce models until replaced by VW engines in 2020
- 1962-65 Silver Cloud III / Bentley S3 - better-developed versions of the Rolls Royce V8 engine and featured quad headlights and a lower bonnet line (only 2044 SCIII made)
1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III J series “Pou-pey”
- Roll-Royce LTD | RHD (Right Hand Drive)
- Build Date: January 1965
- VIN: SJR55
- Engine #: SR27J
- 220hp Rolls-Royce 6.2L 16V Dual Carb V8
- 4 Speed GM Hydramatic Automatic Transmission
- Column mounted shifter
- Body on frame construction
- Dual front headlights
- Length 212”
- Width 75”
- Height 64”
- Weight 4647 lb
- 0-60: 11.4s
- 1/4 mile: 18.1s
- Top Speed: 115mph
SRJ55 Provenance
Owner #1: SRJ55 was originally owned by Graham Charles Kinnaird, 13th Lord Kinnaird of Inchture, 5th Baron Kinnaird of Rossie in Scotland from 1965 to 1985. The car is a right-hand drive model and spent its 1st 20 years at a gothic style castle in Scotland, the Rossi Priory Estate, the seat of the Kinnaird family.
Graham Charles Kinnaird held one of the 12 oldest titles in Scotland and was a regular attender at the House of Lords where he was regarded as ''one of the great characters'' of the Upper House.
A familiar figure in the Lords, which he attended daily, invariably sporting a canary yellow waistcoat, Lord Kinnaird enjoyed a daily routine that included a pink gin over a sandwich lunch with select friends. Part of that routine, to the great mirth of his friends, was to cut a blimpish figure with younger and newer members of the Lords.
It was an impression at odds with Lord Kinnaird's legendary sense of humor which would see him ''bringing the house down'' with an appropriate recitation from Alice in Wonderland intended to prick the pompous and enliven the boring.
On inheriting his title from his father at the age of 59 in 1972, he opted to sit on the Conservative benches and became a staunch defender of the House of Lords. He spoke on constitutional matters and affairs relating to Scotland.
A refined and cultured man, Lord Kinnaird was renowned for his knowledge of the arts and had a fine eye for paintings, sculpture, and rugs which enabled him to build up an admired collection.
He liked good wines, the best of brandies and good whisky (which he enjoyed of an evening). He enjoyed the company of his many friends and relished talking them through tastings of his brandies and wines. He stoutly maintained that it was ''impossible to get a hangover if you stick to the best wines''.
His time was divided between the gothic splendour of his ancestral home at Rossie Priory, near Longforgan in Perthshire, and London where he was a member of the Stock Exchange for many years.
He enjoyed country life and was proud of Rossie Priory, where his family could trace their roots back to the twelfth century, although the title Lord Kinnaird of Inchture was created only in 1682. Unlike many of his peers, however, he was not a huntin', shootin', and fishin' enthusiast. His appreciation of the countryside owed more to its aesthetic appeal.
Owner #2/3: 1985-2024 - SRJ55 was purchased and imported into the United States in 1985 by the Chairman of the California Transportation Commission appointed by the Governor of California, Jerome Lipp, and spent the next 39 years with the Lipp family in Sacramento, California. Upon Jerome's death in 2002, SRJ55 was inherited by his son Lawrence, who maintained it until it was purchased by Mach Five Motorsports in 2024.
- Grey Poupon commercial & "Pou-Pey"
- "Pou-Pey's" original home, Rossi Priory Estate, gothic style castle in Scotland
- "Pou-Pey's" original owner, Graham Charles Kinnaird, 13th Lord Kinnaird of Inchture, 5th Baron Kinnaird of Rossie in Scotland
- "Pou-Pey's" current home, Melmar Mansion in the USA
- "Pou-Pey" Three Quarter view
- "Pou-Pey" Side view
- "Pou-Pey" Rear view
- "Pou-Pey" Driver's seat (Right Hand Drive)
- "Pou-Pey" Dash with a little Grey Poupon
- "Pou-Pey" Rear Trays
- "Pou-Pey" Collage
- "Pou-Pey" Identification Plate
