The Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn is a luxury automobile produced by Rolls-Royce between 1949 and 1955. The Silver Dawn was the first Rolls-Royce to be sold with a standard steel body and all were exported. While most Silver Dawns came with factory-built standard steel saloon bodies, several were sent to coachbuilders like Park Ward and Mulliner for bespoke bodywork.
Similar to the Bentley Mark VI, the Silver Dawn was built on the same chassis but featured distinctive Rolls-Royce styling and luxury. High-quality materials, including leather upholstery and fine wood veneers, adorned the interior. The car also featured advanced (for the time) amenities such as power windows and air conditioning in later models.
The six-cylinder in-line engine of 4,257cc was enlarged to 4.5-litre in 1951 and then to 4.9-litres in 1954. The Silver Dawn had independent front suspension with coil springs and a live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, Servo-assisted drum brakes on all four wheels.
The Silver Dawn was one of the first Rolls-Royce models to be designed for export, particularly targeting the American market.
- Production Years: 1949 to 1955
- Total Produced: Approximately 760 units
- Assembly: Crewe, England
- Engine: Initially equipped with a 4.3 L straight-6 engine, later models (from 1951) featured a larger 4.6 L engine.
- Transmission: 4-speed manual transmission, with a 4-speed automatic transmission available from 1952.
- Body Style: Most Silver Dawns were 4-door saloons, with a small number of custom coachbuilt versions.
Modern Revival: The Silver Dawn name was revived by Rolls-Royce in 2016 for a special edition of the Rolls-Royce Dawn, a modern luxury convertible.