1948 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

The Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith was produced in 1938 and 1939 before World War II brought production to an end. Instead, the company shifted its efforts to wartime production with its V-12 Merlin engines powering Supermarine Spitfire and North American Mustang fighters in Packard-built V-1650 trim. After the war, the production of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars moved to Crewe where a new philosophy was adopted and a new direction. For the first time in Rolls-Royce history, its products were offered as complete cars wearing factory coachwork. Customers were still able to obtain a car in chassis form and deliver it to a coachbuilder of their choosing, such as Park Ward, Freestone and Webb, H.J. Mulliner, and Hooper.

Note, the first Rolls-Royce car to be offered with a factory-built body - which it shared, along with its chassis, with the Bentley Mark VI until 1952 and then the Bentley R Type until production finished in 1955 - was the Silver Dawn, produced from 1949 to 1955. The Silver Wraith was offered as a chassis for coachbuilders, but it could also be purchased with a Rolls-Royce built Standard Steel body. Most of the bodies selected used 'formal' limousine designs.

The Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith rested on an entirely new 127-inch wheelbase chassis which was considerably different than the pre-war Wraith. It was similar to the new Bentley chassis but seven inches longer. The standard wheelbase measured 127 inches while the longer wheelbase was 133 inches. The Long Wheelbase version was introduced in 1951, with deliveries beginning in January 1952.

Silver Wraiths were built on an improved and strengthened ladder frame, considerably more rigid than its predecessors, and based on that of the pre-war Wraith. The suspension was independent at the front with a conventional semi-elliptic spring setup at the rear along with a live axle. Braking power was provided by a hybrid hydro-mechanical system with hydraulic front brakes and mechanical rears using the mechanical servo system.

The engine was also based on the pre-war Wraith, utilizing a cylinder head with overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves. The 4,257cc straight-six unit produced 135 horsepower. Displacement increased to 4,566cc in 1951, and again in 1955 to 4,887cc. The engines were initially backed by a four-speed manual gearbox with a dry clutch and column shift controls. This was later supplemented by a General Motors Hydramatic automatic option from 1952.

The total production of the 1946 through 1958 Silver Wraith totaled 1,883 vehicles, including 638 long-wheelbase examples.

The Silver Wraith was the first model offered by Rolls Royce Ltd. after World War II and the last Rolls-Royce model that would be delivered in 'chassis only' for completion by independent body fabricators. It marked the end of the coach-built Rolls Royce era, and in the company's own words, the Silver Wraith was 'considered by many to be the most technologically advanced Rolls Royce model in history...an exceptionally graceful and elegant automobile.'

The Silver Wraith chassis was manufactured in lettered series, 'A' through 'H' being short-chassis (200 inches on a 127-inch wheelbase) in the late 1940s and 'A' through 'H' in long-chassis (206 inches on a 133-inch wheelbase) in the 1950s. The short wheelbase version was aptly suited for close-coupled, or sporting models, open or closed, with the longer chassis better accommodated formal sedans and limousines.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2020