1949 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Park Ward Saloon

Registration No: JM 8001
Chassis No: WCB38
MOT: Exempt

• Believed to have been used as part of HM The Queen's visit to Cumbria in the mid 1950s
• Originally delivered to a Mr W.E. Sayer
• Subject to much expenditure in current ownership
• The vendor describes ‘JM’ presenting as ‘very good’ inside and out
• Ran ‘strong and silently’ upon our visit

Produced between 1946 and 1959, the Silver Wraith was the last Rolls-Royce to be delivered in chassis form alone, of which a total of 1883 were laid down - 1244 with 117in wheelbase and 639 with the 133in wheelbase that was standard from 1953. Many were purchased for official duties and featured formal limousine-style coachwork - eg Silver Wraiths served as state cars for the Dutch, Danish and Greek royal households and the Irish and Brazilian presidencies. The capacity of the straight-six engine rose from an initial 4257cc to 4566cc in 1951 and was, further increased to 4887cc during 1954. Early examples were only available with four-speed manual transmission, but from 1952 onwards there was the option of a General Motors automatic unit. The model has frequently starred on the silver screen, making appearances in `Witness for the Prosecution', `The return of the Pink Panther', `Arthur', `Batman' and `Batman Returns', to name but a few of its many movie credits.

Delivered on the 3^rd August 1948, the Silver Wraith chassis number WCB38, was destined to be clothed in a Sports Saloon body at Park Ward. Subsequently delivered to the distributors, Scottish Motor Traction Co. Ltd in Carlisle on the 2^nd December 1948, with the registration ‘JM 8001’, it left the works wearing Metallic Grey paintwork with complementing Grey upholstery and specified with ‘step irons’. The first registered keeper of ‘JM 8001’ was a W.E. Sayer Esq. of Kirkby Stephen, Westmoreland, who took delivery on the 14^th March 1949. To date, the Sports Saloon’s V5C documents just this one former keeper.

It is believed the Saloon was originally used as part of HM The Queen's visit to Appleby, Cumbria in the mid 1950s, indeed, a press cutting from a May, 2005 copy of the Northern Echo, on file, refers to the Royal connection. Now in the ownership of the J.H. Henderson and Sons of Penrith, The 2005 article documents the car’s "complete restoration" and colour change to Cream in 2005, with a contrasting Red leather interior, and the 10 weeks of work by The Carrosserie Company (UK) Ltd of Barnard Castle, by Dick Francis and Steve Layton. There are hand-written job sheets on file for the £26,089.83 2005 restoration.

Between the 1^st November 2006 and 30^th June 2007, the Sports Saloon received an extensive engine overhaul with 5 invoices on file documenting the work done and recording a cost of £33,567.01, with Dennis Pilling & Son of Leigh, Lancashire. Additionally, there was an overhaul of the carburettor, distributor, dynamo and the radiator. Dennis Pilling & Son of Leigh had previously carried out work in 2005, that included the front suspension, the overhaul of the lower suspension and an overhaul of the brake system. ‘JM 8001’ returned to The Carrosserie Company (UK) Ltd in 2010, for further remedial bodywork with an invoice on file for £1,869.12. Fast forward to May 2014 and the Sports Saloon had been mis-firing requiring components from Flying Spares to rectify, benefitting from an electronic fuel pump, a new condenser and rotor arm, HT leads and an uprated coil, with an invoice on file.

Upon our visit, the engine ’ran silently and smoothly. The interior and exterior present as ‘very good’. Offered with correspondence and invoices relating to work carried out, photographs from the 2005 restoration, old MOT documentation, a copy of the build cards and the current V5C.

For more information, please contact:
Julian Pinkster
julian.pinkster@handh.co.uk
07889 223 904