Rolls-Royce Dawn I photos

The historic Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn was produced between 1949 and 1955 at the Crewe facility, establishing a major milestone as the company's first model offered with a standardized factory steel body supplied by Pressed Steel, in addition to rolling chassis for custom coachbuilders. Built on a sturdy chassis shared closely with the Bentley Mark VI, it utilized independent front coil suspension and mechanically servo-assisted brakes. Power came from an inline-six F-head petrol engine, displacing 4.3 liters initially before expanding to 4.6 liters (4566 cc) in 1951, matched to a four-speed manual gearbox or an optional GM-derived four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic. Alongside the standard factory saloons, bespoke drophead coupes and convertibles were fashioned by renowned coachbuilders like Park Ward. Originally engineered as an export-only offering for the North American market, it was eventually made available to British domestic buyers in 1953.