Image credit: © conceptcarz.com (Reproduction Or reuse prohibited).
he English coachbuilder Hooper created coachwork for many Silver Wraith chassis from 1946 to 1959, with the rarest and most formal design being the Seven-Passenger Limousine. It is believed that ten examples of these Limousines were built between 1947 and 1951. Lord Louis Mountbatten received the first example for use in his service as Viceroy of India. This particular example is the final example built; it was delivered new to the United Kingdom's most powerful media mogul, The Right Honorable James Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley.
This aluminum-bodied example originally wore a black exterior over a front cabin trimmed in fawn leather. The rear cabin was done in fawn 'West of England' wool cloth with mohair carpets and flame walnut veneers. In July of 1952, Hooper made modifications to the rear cabin to replicate several features as found on the Aga Khan's Phantom IV Sedanca de Ville, in which Kemsley had recently traveled. Among the updates were special silk rope pulls, an armrest storage box with newspaper cubby, tinted purdah glass, interior mirrors, and supplemental reading lights.
By late 1956, Lord Kemsley had sold WME 85 back to Rolls-Royce, and later received factory registration plates '6518 TU' for use as a diplomatic limousine in service of the British government. A San Francisco, California-based individual acquired it in May of 1961, and later passed through subsequent owners in and around Kansas City, Missouri. The current owner discovered the Rolls-Royce in 1997 and at the time, the odometer displayed just under 12,800 miles.
Ralph Curzon was commissioned to execute a complete restoration which took six years to complete. The car's 'supplicating' divider glass and undercarriage-mounted antenna were retained and restored, and every nut and bolt was re-plated to factory specifications. It has its original numbers-matching straight six-cylinder engine, and the exterior was refinished in its factory-correct black. The interior was similarly retrimmed in the proper fabric, trim, and finishes as specified on its factory order sheet.
After the restoration was completed, the Rolls-Royce won numerous awards at several important national-level Rolls-Royce Owners' Club events, including Best in Show and Finest Hooper Car twice. Additionally, it won People's Choice prize at the Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance.By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2022
This aluminum-bodied example originally wore a black exterior over a front cabin trimmed in fawn leather. The rear cabin was done in fawn 'West of England' wool cloth with mohair carpets and flame walnut veneers. In July of 1952, Hooper made modifications to the rear cabin to replicate several features as found on the Aga Khan's Phantom IV Sedanca de Ville, in which Kemsley had recently traveled. Among the updates were special silk rope pulls, an armrest storage box with newspaper cubby, tinted purdah glass, interior mirrors, and supplemental reading lights.
By late 1956, Lord Kemsley had sold WME 85 back to Rolls-Royce, and later received factory registration plates '6518 TU' for use as a diplomatic limousine in service of the British government. A San Francisco, California-based individual acquired it in May of 1961, and later passed through subsequent owners in and around Kansas City, Missouri. The current owner discovered the Rolls-Royce in 1997 and at the time, the odometer displayed just under 12,800 miles.
Ralph Curzon was commissioned to execute a complete restoration which took six years to complete. The car's 'supplicating' divider glass and undercarriage-mounted antenna were retained and restored, and every nut and bolt was re-plated to factory specifications. It has its original numbers-matching straight six-cylinder engine, and the exterior was refinished in its factory-correct black. The interior was similarly retrimmed in the proper fabric, trim, and finishes as specified on its factory order sheet.
After the restoration was completed, the Rolls-Royce won numerous awards at several important national-level Rolls-Royce Owners' Club events, including Best in Show and Finest Hooper Car twice. Additionally, it won People's Choice prize at the Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance.By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2022
2022 RM Sothebys : The Hershey Auction
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $85,000-USD $125,000
Sale Price :
USD $90,750
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith
(Data based on Model Year 1951 sales)
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Seven-Passenger Limousine by Hooper Chassis#: WME 85 Sold for USD$90,750 2022 RM Sothebys : The Hershey Auction | |
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Saloon Chassis#: LWME1 Sold for USD$19,186 2022 Bonhams : The Gstaad Sale | |
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Sold for USD$17,600 2022 Mecum Indy | |
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith 4½-Litre Saloon Chassis#: WOF36 Sold for USD$49,229 2017 Bonhams : London Olympia | |
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Four-Door Saloon Sold for USD$31,900 2015 Auctions America - Fort Lauderdale | |
1951 ROLLS ROYCE SILVER WRAITH 4 DOOR SEDAN Chassis#: WME29 Sold for USD$49,500 2015 Barrett-Jackson - Scottsdale | |
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Limousine Chassis#: WME55 Sold for USD$25,989 2012 H & H Auctions - Rockingham Castle | |
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith 4,566cc Saloon Chassis#: WOF 36 Sold for USD$29,843 2003 Bonhams - Rolls-Royce & Bentley Motor Cars & Related Automobilia |
Rolls-Royce Silver Wraiths That Failed To Sell At Auction
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|
Vehicles With Comparable Market Values
Similar sales to the $39,250 range.
2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS Transformers Edition Chassis#:2g1fk1ej8c9152154 Sold for $39,600 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1963 Chevrolet Biscayne Chassis#:31111j147359 Sold for $39,600 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1999 Plymouth Prowler Chassis#:1p3ew65g5xv505056 Sold for $39,600 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1963 Chevrolet Nova SS Convertible Chassis#:30467w107235 Sold for $39,600 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#:d7fh214233 Sold for $39,600 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1959 BMW Isetta 600 Limousine Chassis#:133261 Sold for $39,600 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1959 Fiat 500 Jolly by Ghia Chassis#:110 034063 Sold for $39,100 2024 RM Sothebys : Dubai | |
1966 Chevrolet Impala Convertible Chassis#:616467073266 Sold for $39,600 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1978 Ford Bronco Ranger XLT Chassis#:u15hlag8562 Sold for $39,600 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1990 Mercedes-Benz 300 E 3.2 AMG Chassis#:WDB1240301B278370 Sold for $39,200 2024 Broad Arrow Auctions : Amelia | |
2022 Bimota Tesi H2 Carbon Chassis#:ZRPBTH201ERL00075 Sold for $39,079 2024 RM Sothebys : Paris | |
1934 FORD DELUXE CUSTOM ROADSTER Chassis#:18559459 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1980 PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM TURBO SPECIAL EDITION PACE CAR Chassis#:2X87TAN127799 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
2007 ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE ROADSTER Chassis#:SCFBF04B47GD06465 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1933 FORD CUSTOM ROADSTER Chassis#:AZ393310 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1977 CHEVROLET C10 FLEETSIDE PICKUP Chassis#:CCU1471112026 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD CONVERTIBLE Chassis#:D7FH332769 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
2007 PONTIAC SOLSTICE CONVERTIBLE Chassis#:1G2MB35B27Y117862 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
2004 MASERATI CAMBIOCORSA Chassis#:ZAMBC38A840011117 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1941 PACKARD 120 CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE Chassis#:D305456 Sold for $39,600 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ |
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith
• Additional valuation insight and sales data• History
• Specifications
• Image gallery
• Other Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith model years