Shared experience deferred

SHARED EXPERIENCE

DEFERRED

Photos: Richard Greene

Bob Sherwood’s ‘55 Chevy Bel Air convertible was, is, and always will be a classic

Here’s a classic Rolls that very few people have been able to see • By Richard GreeneHere’s a classic Rolls that very few people have been able to see • By Richard Greene

Imagine becoming the owner of a vintage Rolls Royce built for an Italian Baron to exacting specifcations that make it one-of-a-kind. Then, imagine circumstances occurring that suspend the opportunity to describe its provenance to fellow Rolls enthusiasts, and you would be sharing that disappointing experience with local attorney Steve Laird.

Steve acquired this 1958 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud just over a year ago – at about the same time the national coronavirus pandemic was taking hold of the country.

“There are local Rolls’ clubs, one in Dallas, another state-wide, and nationally. I joined them all and was looking forward to meeting fellow owners, participating in shows and road trips and, understandably, all of that had to be canceled,” he laments when describing what has happened.

“I am anxious for those to pick back up, but I’ll just have to wait. Those clubs include owners of Rolls automobiles that comprise ones that are older, some much older, and newer than mine.”

When Steve Laird and his Rolls Royce fnally get When Steve Laird and his Rolls Royce fnally get to circulate, those he visits will see a car with to circulate, those he visits will see a car with meticulous craftsmanship and a keen attention meticulous craftsmanship and a keen attention to detail. to detail.

Photos: Richard Greene

Many of those owners also have great stories to share along with their special collections. Steve’s, however, will be hard to top.

This luxury automobile was ordered from Rolls-Royce Limited in Crewe, England. The hand-written build sheet details the specifcations just as Baron Paulo Apuzzo de Portanova wanted.

In addition to his Italian home, the Baron had another in Los Angeles in 1958, and the frst requirement he had was for the steering wheel to be located on the left side so he could properly navigate the byways and freeways of California.

A long list of details was penciled in to suit his preferences, including factory-installed air-conditioning that still works more than 60 years later. That feature itself makes the car one of only 35 that Rolls built that year providing such comfort to its owners.

The reverse button on the “column quadrant” was to be deleted; shields for the door locks; rear-room increased capacity; coat hangers; a “made in England” badge; and, for the foor of the trunk, an exclusive lambswool rug crafted by the 100-year old English Morlands rug maker rounded out the extensive features not shared by the famous car maker’s other Silver Clouds of the time.

In my visit with Steve, he produced two large three-ring binders containing the original parts descriptions by number of every single screw, nut, bolt, and every other part that went in to assembling the car.

Such a resource makes it possible to maintain the original condition of the car when refurbishment or reftting of any detail is required to keep the car like new. The most dramatic example of this

outcome is found in the interior woodwork of the The larger engine was a bit cramped in the dashboard, side panels and fold-out tray tables in engine bay, as you can see from the photo here the back seat. of both the bonnets raised (we call them hoods

To achieve such results when those features in this country) to reveal the powerplant and were replaced, the woodwork was imported from all its attached equipment. England to ensure its authenticity. There’s a lot to share about this remarkable

The engine in the ’58 model is a six-cylinder example of Rolls luxury in a car built for unit with twin carburetors producing a top an Italian Baron, and Steve is ready to do it speed, according to the British Motor magazine, as soon as he can. In the meantime, he says of 103 miles per hour, acceleration from 0-60 in with a bit of longing, “I enjoy driving it short 13.5 seconds and a fuel consumption of 14.5 miles distances around the neighborhood and a little per gallon of gasoline. Steve Laird has a pair of three-ring binders that chronicle each part that beyond.”

Interestingly, the following year, Rolls ofered makes his car a unique classic. He also has those stufed three-ring binders an 8-cylinder version, the Silver Cloud II, but if to memorize some of the parts numbers so you wanted one of these, you would have to remove the right when he is talking to other Rolls owners, he can impress them front wheel to change the spark plugs. with how deeply familiar he is with all the details of his.