1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

Following World War II, Rolls-Royce introduced its first post-war model in late 1946 called the Silver Wraith resting on a chassis similar to that of the Silver Dawn and Mark VI Bentley, although with a 7-inch longer wheelbase. The Silver Dawn was the first Rolls-Royce to wear a factory-built body and was built at the Crewe Works facilities. The Wraith, also built at the company's former Merlin engine plant alongside the shorter Bentley Mark VI, was only intended for traditional coach-built bodies. Only the bore and stroke dimensions were shared with the pre-war overhead-valve Wraith engine, the major advantage of this 'F-head' layout being its abundant water jacketing around the valve seats and large valves. It had new main and big-end bearings, a more efficient drive to the timing gear, and chromed bores. Displacement initially measured 4,257cc, increasing to 4,566cc in 1951 and in 1955 to 4,887cc.

The front suspension was independent with coil springs while the rear had a live axle with conventional semi-elliptic springs. Stopping power was via a hybrid hydro-mechanical system with hydraulic front brakes and mechanical rears using the mechanical servo. The standard-wheelbase measured 127-inches while the longer chassis measured 133-inches. A four-speed manual gearbox was standard, supplemented in 1952 by a General Motors Hydra-Matic automatic gearbox.

Production of the short-wheelbase Wraith ceased in 1952. The long-wheelbase version, introduced in 1951, remained in production until the introduction of the Phantom V in 1959, by which time 639 chassis had been built. The combined total of standard and long-wheelbase versions was 1,883 examples.

Among the list of coachbuilders who clothed the Wraith include Vignale, Hooper, Park Ward & Company, H.J. Mulliner, James Young, and Freestone & Webb.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2020