Some of the greatest cars in history were the product of an Anglo-American alliance. The legendary Shelby Cobra that terrorized race tracks in the ’60s married a swoopy lightweight English AC body with a family of thundering Ford V8s. In the ’90s an inverse relationship brought us the King of the Hill ZR-1 with a high-tech Lotus-designed V8 sending power to the rear tires of the handling phenom that was the C4 Corvette.
The Wisconsin madmen known as the Ringbrothers have just pieced together the next chapter in this famed transatlantic English-speaking lineage. Unlike the factory specials above, their custom build takes a unique path to US/UK unification that wonderfully blurs all of the lines between the British aristocracy, working-class America, quarter-mile slaying hot rod, elegant grand tourer, old, and new.
The Ring Bros. took the blank canvas of a stately 1969 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II and updated it to shame any modern AMG ‘Benz S-Class. For the Dudley Moore’s of the world, riding around in the back seat, everything has been richly reupholstered and refinished, complete with a lookalike “Starlight” ceiling à la modern Rolls’. It’s all quite stunning, but the real fun was saved for Bitterman, the chauffer. When the boss is in a hurry, and especially after he’s been dropped at his destination, the driver has command over a marvel of contemporary engine design in the Supercharged 6.2L LT4 V8 of C7 Corvette Z06 fame, complete with a custom set of Rolls Royce valve covers because it’s the fine details where the best craftsmen separate themselves from the pack.
Speaking of separating from the pack, the Ringbrothers shot an enjoyable video to show off what their creation is capable of! In the clip, a pair of high-class types let their butlers duke it out in a straight-line bet over fancy mustard. Lined up next to the Small Block-infused slice of the upper crust is the twin-turbo V12 statement piece of a 2023 Phantom. The new Rolls may start at half of a million greenbacks, but as the race starts, it’s immediately apparent that it’s no match for the classic with the heart of the Big Nasty. As the ultimate luxobarges pull away, the heart of the Big Nasty helps the classic earn the “Cloud” portion of its name as American thunder gives way to tire smoke, then a wall of supercharger whine, and blurred vision.
If that tasty in-house production left you hungry for more, you are in luck because we have a double feature on tap today, courtesy of Jay Leno’s Garage. The fabricators behind this mental build recently paid a visit to the car guy’s renowned storage facility with the Rolls in tow. It is a true joy to hear Jay’s thoughts on this glorious one-of-one, but even better to see and hear it in action a little more! Talk about a match made in Wisconsin!