1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Seven-Passenger Limousine

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