1950 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Drophead Roadster

The first Rolls-Royce motorcar was built as a result of the meeting between the aristocratic Honorable Charles Stewart Rolls and the hardworking engineering Frederick Henry Royce. Since that day, all Rolls-Royce automobiles have featured a radiator in the classic Parthenon proportioned design.

The first model produced by Rolls-Royce after WWII was named the Silver Wraith and was constructed in the plant located in Crew, Cheshire, England. It shared the original Wraith's engine block and gearbox, although it now had an 'F' head. The front wheel brakes were hydraulic while those on the rear maintained the traditional mechanical servo assistance.

All Rolls-Royce motorcars of this era were coachbuilt. Silver Wraith chassis were supplied to many coachbuilders including Freestone & Webb, Hooper, H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward and James Young. The Silver Wraith, bodied by Mulliner, was produced until 1959, and some considered it to be the last of the great custom coachbuilt automobiles.

Over 5,000 hours have gone into the restoration of this example, which is one of the most stylish of all the cars built.

After 1945, all Rolls-Royce production was moved to Crewe, where it remained for the next sixty years. The Silver Wraith chassis was offered with an improved 4.3-liter 6-cylinder engine and in two wheelbase lengths, but still called for a custom body. This car, chassis number WGG48, was bodied by H.J. Mulliner as a one-off roadster. Its first owner was Mrs. S. M. Rhodes and it still bears its original registration, RMC1. The car is extravagantly appointed with a bar behind the front seat and full picnic accoutrements in the boot.

After 1945, all Rolls-Royce production moved to Crewe where it remained for the next sixty years. The postwar Silver Wraith chassis, with 4.3-liter 6-cylinder engine, was offered in two wheelbase lengths and was the last Rolls-Royce model to be delivered only as a chassis.

This car was bodied by H.J. Mulliner for Sybil Rhodes, an American whose husband was the British industrialist Frank E. Rhodes, who made his fortune paving the new motorways of Great Britain. Mrs. Rhodes had a penchant for French styling and the Mulliner design echoes those of great Paris carrosseries such as Franay and Saoutchik. The original plans for this 'one of a kind' showed it with a 'Dickey' seat, or rumble seat. During construction, plans were changed, and the 'Dickey' seat was eliminated even though initial holes were drilled for its construction. A large refreshment cabinet was ordered, and its design and configuration were also changed to accommodate decanters and highball glasses instead of wine glasses. This car was unique in numerous ways, showing the individuality of its owner. It is the only two-door, two-passenger Drophead/Roadster ever built by H.J. Mulliner.