$23,450
The Silver Wraith was the first post-war Rolls Royce. It was made from 1946 to 1958. It was meant to fill the role as Rolls Royce’s smaller car, the size being chosen to stay up to date with the mood of post-war trends. Improvements over the 1939 Wraith were as follows: chromium-plated cylinder bores, a more rigid chassis frame, independent front suspension, a synchromesh gearbox, and centralized chassis lubrication.
The Silver Wraith was the first post-war Rolls Royce. It was made from 1946 to 1958. It was meant to fill the role as Rolls Royce’s smaller car, the size being chosen to stay up to date with the mood of post-war trends. Improvements over the 1939 Wraith were as follows: chromium-plated cylinder bores, a more rigid chassis frame, independent front suspension, a synchromesh gearbox, and centralized chassis lubrication.
The Silver Wraith had undergone several upgrades during its production life. The engine is a 278.6 cu in straight-six mated to the 4-speed manual with synchromesh. The chassis to these Silver Wraiths differ heavily from the pre-war Wraiths and are notably more rigid. Servo assisted drum brakes were used at both ends of the Silver Wraith, hydraulically operated at the front, and mechanically operated at the rear. This specific Silver Wraith is a long wheelbase model. Today’s example was also a recipient of coach building work done by none other than H.J. Mulliner & Company.
The exterior of this Silver Wraith is finished in a two-tone brown and pewter paint job. A quick walkaround of the car reveals damage on every single panel of the car. There is not a piece of metal on the exterior that doesn’t have at least one scratch, scuff, or chip. The white wall tires would benefit immensely from a deep scrubbing, and the hubcaps each have some scratches or bubbling in the chrome. The rear bumper has some wrinkles in it, but the front bumper appears decently straight. Aside from the bumpers and a strip at the bottom of the passenger side falling off of its mounts, the remaining chrome trim around the car is in solid condition. The Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament is cocked 45 degrees to the left. Overall, this Wraith has a wonderful looking exterior from afar, unfortunately the closer to the vehicle we get, more and more blemishes begin to reveal themselves.
The interior to this Silver Wraith LWB is the area that needs the most attention. The seats are tan leather accompanied by gray carpets. The front seats are heavily worn. The driver’s seat is in dire need for new leather as a large chunk of it is missing including some of the foam, from the back rest. There is light creasing everywhere in the leather. The front passenger seat is also damaged, with a lot of those creases having turned into legitimate cracks in the leather. The rear bench and carpet look considerably better than the front. There is no major damage to note, although a deep cleaning would probably do wonders. The wood trim in the back seat is in fair shape, but the wood up front has seen quite a bit of wear. The wooden dash pad and dashboard has lost most of its varnish, and the pad in particular has become quite spotty. but on the other side by the glove box, the wood has been beaten up quite a bit. The panel for the glove box looks to have been scratched quite heavily as well. Overall, the interior condition of this Silver Wraith is rough. This is a great candidate for either a restoration or some kind of custom work.
Under the hood, the engine bay is in decent condition. All the components appear to be in their proper location, and nothing seems majorly damaged. The manifolds do appear to have a decent amount of surface corrosion on them though. Under the body we have what appears to be a decent undercarriage. The floorboards and frame appear solid, but the frame does exhibit some surface corrosion. The suspension components all seem to be in their proper locations, and the exhaust shows some discoloration.
We have a bounty of documents related to this vehicle’s history. The car was originally delivered to Ottawa in 1954 to the Secretary of State of Canada. Years later, the Wraith was titled in 2000 in Miami, Florida, and then sold to the seller in 2007. Curiously though, the certificate noted the car as being black. The car may have been repainted at some point.
This Silver Wraith is not in Concours condition, clearly. Potential buyers must acknowledge that this car will require some level of restoration efforts after successful purchase. The paint outside is heavily damaged and a repaint should be thoroughly considered as it would seem this isn’t the original paint anyway. Furthermore, the interior deserves to be completely redone as well. This is an excellent opportunity to secure a popular luxury automobile below market value that has the potential to be very special once rehabilitated. Furthermore, coachbuilding by H.J. Mulliner & Co. cements this Wraith as a highly unique model. We at The Market by Bonhams are confident that this Silver Wraith will have few issues achieving its $30,000 - $40,000 estimate.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BIDDERS
It should be noted that this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.
We have not started or driven the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.
Please note that the title for this vehicle is in transit.
