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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 |
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1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith
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