Meet the Specialists

By Gord Duff
President, RM Sotheby’s

“Every Cloud has a Silver Lining,” the definitive book on one of Rolls-Royce’s most famous models, celebrates this 1962 Cloud II Drophead Coupé Adaptation by H.J. Mulliner as the end of an era. Author Davide Bassoli, an expert on luxury British marques, identifies this car succinctly as “the last one built… with gorgeous lines, perfect proportions.” Only 107 Mulliner-adapted Drophead Coupés were built on a Silver Cloud II chassis—a collaborative creation that is generally accepted to be amongst the most elegant of all postwar coachwork—and this particular vehicle marks the final one.

Mulliner, a name now more commonly associated with the personalization of modern Bentleys, was historically an independent coachbuilder that can trace its roots back to a business in 1760s Northampton, England, which built and maintained coaches for the Royal Mail. It morphed through the 19th and early 20th centuries to become, by the 1930s, focused almost entirely on adapting Rolls-Royces and Bentleys at a time when luxury motorcar ownership was rapidly expanding among Britain’s middle and upper classes.

In the U.S., where this car was destined, car ownership followed a similar line, expanding significantly after World War II, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s. This specific vehicle—chassis number LSAE639—should not, however, be misunderstood as anything less than a top example. It was created at a time when the coachbuilder would make modifications so extensive that the resulting car was, in its every detail, essentially a fully custom body. The “adaptation,” as it is known, in this case meant modifying a factory-standard steel saloon body into a convertible by removing the roof, fitting two doors in place of the usual four and adding a modified chromed waist-line molding. The adaptation, notably, is one of just 74 left-hand-drive examples of the Cloud II built by H.J. Mulliner.

Copies of its original chassis cards, which are on file, indicate that the car was specially ordered by Boyd Calhoun Hipp, of Greenville, South Carolina, a decorated World War II hero who became a leader in the insurance, finance and television broadcasting industries. Mr. Hipp requested a left-hand-drive, U.S.-specification model with a power radio aerial and windows, the newly developed Rolls-Royce air-conditioning system, and special Sundym glass.

Mulliner also installed an array of special features supplied by London coachbuilder Harold Radford, including Perspex sun visors, a fitted locker with an ice thermos in the left-hand door pocket, fitted cocktail bars with three spirit flasks and six tumblers in the backs of the front seats, and most amusingly, removable “toadstool” cushions that affix to the rear bumpers, providing seating for elegant “tailgate” dining in the most literal sense.

Hipp accepted delivery of his Silver Cloud II in England in September 1962, with records indicating that it accompanied him home to New York in the most stylish of fashions, aboard the fabled Cunard liner the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Under the care of the consignor since 2016, LSAE639 was returned to continental Europe and later subject to a bare metal restoration, with the Mulliner Coachwork finished in Sand. Following the restoration, this Silver Cloud II has been in regular use across the French Riviera during the summertime.

Whether in motion or on concours display, historians generally consider the rare Silver Cloud II coachbuilt cars as offering the best of all Rolls-Royce worlds: superior engineering, fine quality and timeless design. This car, as the last of a proud series and one filled with bespoke features, is particularly special, and it will find a home in any fine collection of cars bearing the Spirit of Ecstasy.

By Andres White Correal
Chairman, Jewelry, EMEA

Like the looping bracelet it adorns, this jeweled timepiece traces interlinked chapters in the history of Van Cleef & Arpels. Its name originates with the “Ludo” bracelet, a design introduced in 1934 by company cofounder Louis “Ludo” Arpels. Arpels envisioned an innovative new form, with links shaped in either a brick-like pattern, as seen here, or a honeycomb-style mesh. In both versions, the joints are expertly hidden, creating a sinuous, ribbon-like effect that wraps the wrist with elegant ease.

Soon after, the motif was transferred to the house’s timepieces and into the heightened language of fashion-influenced late art deco style. The bracelet is punctuated by a buckle motif befitting a couture belt and, instead of foregrounding the rectilinear shapes of the 1920s, the case is defined by two diamond-set circles—balancing strength and softness in a single form. It is only by pinching together the two circles that the wearer reveals the hidden face.

Before the 1920s, watches were not worn on the wrist, instead taking the form of either pocket watches, or more commonly for women, lapel watches. Thus, it was a period of transformation, and a creative challenge approached in different ways. Cartier’s “Tank,” released to the public in 1919, sat boldly on the wrist: proud, visible, graphic. By contrast, in 1931, Jaeger‑LeCoultre released the “Reverso” based on a patent filed earlier that year. Designed to withstand the rigors of a polo game, its mechanism was housed in a case that could be flipped to protect the dial. The “Ludo” was of course targeting a different demographic—the stylish, avant-garde women of the interwar period.

This play between innovation and elegance, between mechanism and mystery, is at the heart of Van Cleef & Arpels’ identity. Unlike the overt engineering bravura of early men’s watches, the “Ludo Secret” celebrates discretion and wit. Its hidden dial is not just a technical feat; it’s a gesture of intimacy, known only to the wearer. That sense of secrecy, of something precious tucked away behind beauty, elevates it beyond a timekeeper into the realm of personal ornament.

The house understood that for their avant-garde clientele, femininity and modernity were not opposites. Its signature serti mystérieux (mystery setting)—used for the rubies of this piece—exemplifies their drive to merge high jewelry with high innovation. The stones appear to float weightlessly across the surface, their mountings hidden, their sparkle uninterrupted.

Recently revived and reissued by the house, the model retains the spirit and silhouette of the original. This reappearance underscores the enduring relevance of the design: fluid, stylish, technically masterful and unmistakably Van Cleef & Arpels. Reimagined for collectors nearly a century later, the “Ludo Secret” remains a triumph—not only of craftsmanship, but of vision. For those drawn to the secret-filled timepiece, however, it may be worth seeking out an earlier example. The vintage pieces tend to carry a warmth and character that’s difficult to replicate.

—As told to James Haldane