Rolls-Royce's first post-war model, the Silver Wraith debuted in late 1946 and employed a chassis similar to that of the Silver Dawn and MkVI Bentley, though with a 7” longer wheelbase at 10' 7”. The 'Wraith however, was only intended for traditional coachbuilt bodies rather than the MkVI's pioneering 'standard steel' bodywork. Powering Rolls-Royce's post-war range was a new 4,257cc six-cylinder engine of cast-iron, monobloc construction with aluminium cylinder head featuring overhead inlet and side exhaust valves. 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 large valves and generous water jacketing around the valve seats. A four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh was standard initially, an automatic option (for export models only at first) not becoming available until 1952, at which time the engine was enlarged to 4,566cc and a long-wheelbase (11' 1”) version introduced. Manufacture of the short-wheelbase 'Wraith ceased in 1952, with a total production of 1,144; the long-wheelbase version continued until the introduction of the Phantom V in 1959, by which time 639 chassis had been completed.

Calouste Gulbenkian was born in Istanbul in 1869, the son of Sarkis and Dirouhie Gulbenkian, members of an illustrious Armenian family whose origins date back to the fourth century. The Gulbenkian family fortune was made in the oil business in Baku in the 1880's, and subsequently expanded to include the Iraq Petroleum Company. Calouste became a British citizen in 1902 and donated $70,000,000 and vast art collections to start the Foundation. After his death in 1955 his son Nubar Gulbenkian carried on the philanthropic work.

In the last word in motoring luxury in its day, this wonderful Silver Wraith was commissioned by flamboyant multi-millionaire, Nubar Gulbenkian (1899-1972) who was educated at Harrow and Cambridge. Heir to a Middle Eastern oil fortune and one of the most colourful socialites in austere post-WW2 Britain, this larger-than-life bon viveur was renowned for his extravagant lifestyle and penchant for witticisms, once famously declaring that his custom-built London taxicab, 'could turn on a sixpence, whatever that is.' In his younger days Gulbenkian favoured fast and expensive sports cars, only turning to Rolls-Royces in the post-war years, although his taste in coachwork was often bizarre. Built by Hooper & Co in 1947 and dubbed 'Pantechnicon', Gulbenkian's first Silver Wraith looked more like a futuristic military vehicle than a Rolls-Royce and is surely one of the ugliest ever made. Quite what Hooper, carriage makers to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII and arguably the finest of all British coachbuilders, thought of the car can only be imagined. Rolls-Royce were not amused. Continuing to favour the Wraith chassis, Gulbenkian confined himself to dramatic variations on Hooper's standard offerings, which included a four-door cabriolet and a sedanca de ville, the latter featuring full sage-green lizard-skin trim. Arguably the most dramatic of Gulbenkian's Rolls-Royces though, is this car - left-hand drive chassis number 'LELW74' - which has four-door saloon coachwork, again by Hooper. Intended for use on the Cote d'Azur, this car is unique and has a transparent Perspex roof with an electrically operated fabric inner blind to keep the interior cool.

Lot details
Year: 1956
Make: Rolls-Royce
Model: Silver Wraith LWB Ex-Nubar Gulbenkian 'Perspex Top' Saloon
Registration: tba
Chassis No: LELW74
Odometer: tba

* Unique, Hooper coachbuilt style
* Celebrity ownership and film featured
* Guaranteed concours invitee