1948 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Estate

Lot details
Registration No: Un-Reg
Chassis No: WAB64
Mot Expiry: None

Notable as the last Rolls-Royce - mighty Phantom series apart - to be sold in bare chassis guise only, the Silver Wraith was introduced in April 1946. Enjoying a seven-inch longer wheelbase than its Bentley MKVI sibling, the newcomer was based around a massive, box-section chassis equipped with independent front suspension, hydraulic shock absorbers (adjustable to the rear) and four-wheel drum brakes. Powered by a smooth 4257cc six-cylinder engine allied to four-speed manual transmission, the model appealed to both owner-drivers and passengers alike.

This particular example is believed but not warranted to be chassis number WAB 64 and thus to have been delivered new to W.B. Allbright Esq as a Park Ward-bodied four-door, four-light saloon in September 1948. Subsequently reconfigured as an estate car, the Rolls-Royce is understood to have been discovered in a derelict state in Italy during 1979. Repatriated that same year with a view to restoring it as required work was begun but not completed - a task that now falls to the new owner. In recent times, the car has been stored outside under tarpaulins, so has probably suffered to some degree. The interior is partially stripped and the body is presented in grey primer, however, many of the parts would appear to be present and correct. The car is accompanied by a set of 'MXM 782' number plates but is not currently registered with the DVLA.

This stately and very practical-looking post-WW2 Rolls-Royce certainly deserves to be returned to its former glory. Some 1,883 Silver Wraiths were produced before production ceased in 1959 - 1,224 standard wheelbase versions and 639 long wheelbase cars. For sure, relatively few of those remaining in existence today will feature estate bodies, making it a relatively rare example and all the more worth returning to the road. A perfect project for the long winter evenings ahead!