Rolls-Royce knew that to be commercially successful in these more challenging times , it needed a model that was less expensive and could be produced in greater numbers than was possible with traditional coachbuilding . So , for the first time in its history , Rolls-Royce decided to produce a complete motor car , with coachwork assembled in-house . In the same way that Silver Wraith replaced Phantom III , this new model would assume the mantle of the small-horsepower cars the marque had built in previous decades .
The second model in the ‘ Rationalised Range ’, the Silver Dawn , was launched in 1949 , initially only as an export car mainly for the North American and Australian markets ; it became available to
UK clients in 1952 . Of the 761 Silver Dawns produced , most were supplied with the ‘ Standard Steel ’ four-door saloon bodies produced in-house . But in deference to clients ’ requirements , Rolls- Royce also offered the Silver Dawn as a rolling chassis , with some 64 coach-built examples completed in a production run that lasted until 1955 .
46 THE ART OF APPRECIATION