The Rolls-Royce Cloudesque Phantom Limousine

The Silver Cloud is a classic Rolls-Royce with timeless elegance, great lines and a true product of the 1950s and 1960s.

The 1959 Silver Cloud II marked the introduction of the legendary L-Series V8 engine and had the longest production run of any engine in a production car, where Bentley only stopped making them in 2020 with the conclusion of the Bentley Mulsanne.

This car in question, the Rolls-Royce Cloudesque was named project P240, or Project 240 at Crewe. Later, due to thelarge proportions, people thought it was a Phantom, so the car could also be referred to as the Rolls-Royce Cloudesque Phantom Limousine. As it was of similar design to the Silver Cloud, hence the Cloudesque name, the car was even referred to as a Silver Cloud Limousine. However in the Brunei records this car is called the Rolls-Royce Cloudesque.

The Rolls-Royce Cloudesque was styled by Futura Design in Birmingham and but build by Tickfords in Milton Keynes.  It was build as a unibody car, similar to the Rolls-Royce Touring Limousine, and was based on an extended SZ chassis, with modern running gear from the 1995 Silver Spirit III.

Initially two were ordered in 1995, then another order was recieved for a further two cars was recieved in 1997. 

Here are the details of the cars made.

Marque	Model	Rego	Year	VIN	Exterior
Rolls-Royce	Cloudesque Phantom Limousine	N282AMP	1995	SCAZH00C6SCH00061	Special Grey
Rolls-Royce	Cloudesque Phantom Limousine	KF7899	1995	SCAZH00C6SCH00062	Special Grey
Rolls-Royce	Cloudesque Phantom Limousine	BQ6363	1997	SCAZH13C4VCH00468	Black
Rolls-Royce	Cloudesque Phantom Limousine	unknown	1997	SCAZH13C4VCH00469	Blue

Let's look at them in detail.

Marque	Model	Rego	Year	VIN	Exterior
Rolls-Royce	Cloudesque Phantom Limousine	N282AMP	1995	SCAZH00C6SCH00061	Special Grey

The first Rolls-Royce Cloudesque was registered in the UK with number plate N282AMP.

It was registered as a 1996 Rolls-Royce in Grey, and did not list the model.

The date of last V5C (logbook) issued was 19 November 1996 and Tax is due 11 November 1996. so they are a little late with this. It is not known if this car is still in the UK, or if it is in Brunei.

Marque	Model	Numberplate	Year	VIN	Exterior
Rolls-Royce	Cloudesque Phantom Limousine	KF7899	1995	SCAZH00C6SCH00062	Special Grey

The second Rolls-Royce Cloudesque is in Brunei, and we have photographs.

Here it is. Certainly a modern interpretation of a Silver Cloud, but larger like a Phantom.

You can see the length in this image.

That is all 1995 Rolls-Royce switch gear!

Interestingly this car does not have occasional seats.

Those chrome bumper bars do not look like a 1995 car, but it is.

Marque	Model	Numberplate	Year	VIN	Exterior
Rolls-Royce	Cloudesque Phantom Limousine	BQ6363	1997	SCAZH13C4VCH00468	Black

Here is the third car made, from the second order of cars in 1997.

Let's start with the back seat. 

Seatbelts for two - with 6 pleats either side of a central 2 pleat folding arm rest.

Look at the size of the picnic tables - they are very large, more like drawing tables.

Notice the Asprey clock? Yeah, HRH Prince Jefri who order this car also bought Asprey, which was later looked after by his son HRH Prince Hakeem.

Those are standard bullseye aircon vents, as still used today in Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars.

Notice the different centre console between the 1995 car and this 1997 car?

The 1995 car has the centre console that look like a Rolls-Royce, and the 1997 centre console looks more like a Bentley with continuous console to the centre arm rest.

I would presume that by 1997 Rolls-Royce now knew the customers preferences and made it more exacting.

With this image you can see the proportions and the Silver Cloud-esque, hence Cloudesque shape.

It even has the lover under head lamp vents as per the Silver Cloud and Silver Shadow cars.

It does looks large like a Phantom.

Marque	Model	Numberplate	Year	VIN	Exterior
Rolls-Royce	Cloudesque Phantom Limousine	unknown	1997	SCAZH13C4VCH00469	Blue

The fourth and final car is not on the Brunei Master VIN list. This implies that it was not in Brunei, or that if it is, it is held in one of the Palaces and there was no record of it.

It could be assumed that this car may have actually in the collection of HM The Sultan of Brunei, and not Prince Jefri or his son Prince Hakeem.

As of October 2025 this car was spotted being transported through the airport in Brunei, and with no numberplate, indicated that it may be His Majesty the Sultan's car. 

You can really see the large size of the Rolls-Royce Cloudesque from this side view.

Generally if a Brunei car is spotted at an airport it is either being sent to the UK or NZ for re-commissioning, or being sent to Johor as a gift to the Sultan of Johor. 

Let's see if this car pops up at P&A Wood for restoration, like when they restored other Royal cars from Malay States, as well as Alfred Tan's Bentley Turbo R 2-door Convertible by Pininfarina that was commissioned by Prince Jefri and Prince Hakeem.

In summary, the Rolls-Royce Cloudesque seems very much like a folly.  It does not have occasional seats to take the children, it's formal enough, but not as much as a Phantom, it's not a car to drive as it has a division, so it's pretty much as car to be taken to the shops in, where people hopefully just think it's a Silver Cloud, and have no idea that it's a 1997 car where the radio is too complex to use.

I do like it that Prince Jefri and Prince Hakeem ordered this car.