1957 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

The Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith was introduced in late 1946 and was the company's first post-war model. It received a chassis similar to that of the Silver Dawn and Bentley MKVI, though its wheelbase was seven inches longer, measuring 10 feet 7 inches. The Wraith was intended for traditional coachbuilt bodies rather than the MkVI's 'standard steel' bodywork. At the heart of the Silver Wraith was an 'F-head' engine with the same bore and stroke dimensions as the pre-war overhead-valve Wraith engine, but with larger valves, chromium-plated cylinder bores, and spacious water jacketing around the valve seats. Additional improvements included a centralized chassis lubrication system, a new synchromesh gearbox, a new independent front suspension, and a more rigid chassis frame. The four-speed manual gearbox was later supplemented by a General Motors Hydramatic automatic option from 1952.

The engine initially had a displacement size of 4,257, later increasing from 1951 to 4,566cc and in 1955, after the introduction of the Silver Cloud, grew to 4,887cc for the remaining Silver Wraiths. 1958 was the final year of production for the Silver Wraith, with 1,883 examples built including 639 long-wheelbase versions which used a 133-inch wheelbase platform.

Among the coachbuilders to cloth the Silver Wraith were H.J. Mulliner, James Young, Park ward, and Hooper.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2020