1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

The Silver Wraith was the first post-war Rolls-Royce. It was made from 1946 to 1958 as only a chassis at Rolls-Royce’s former Merlin engine plant, their Crewe factory, alongside the shorter Bentley Mark VI. The Bentley too was available as a chassis for coachbuilders but also for the first time could be bought with a Rolls-Royce built standard steel body.

The Silver Wraith used the 4.25-liter inline six-cylinder engine, featuring an F-head design with overhead inlet valves and side-mounted exhaust valves. Keeping with Rolls-Royce tradition, the Silver Wraith was sold only as a rolling chassis, for delivery to outside coachbuilders. It was not until the Silver Dawn that Rolls adopted Standard Steel Saloon as pioneered by its mechanical twin, the Bentley Mk VI. Between 1946 and 1958, Rolls-Royce produced a total of 1,883 Silver Wraiths. Today’s enthusiasts cherish the Silver Wraith for the way it combines a classic pre-war aesthetic with refined, post-war performance.

The coachwork on this particular Hooper limousine is hand formed aluminum over a wooden skeleton. It has a uniquely sporting appearance and is a stylistic departure from the normal bodies of the period, as it was fashionable at the time to build rather tall and sometimes cumbersome looking limousines. The Empress Limousine’s brilliant exterior lines are in step with its opulent interior, finished in red leather in the chauffeur’s compartment and matching cloth in the rear passenger compartment. The interior is adorned with an abundance of hand-polished and ornate woodwork. The rear passenger’s compartment features a center console with an elaborate vanity unit with a telescopic mirror and independent climate controls.

The 1947 Silver Wraith is one of the last truly great touring limousines from the company that built the Best Car in The World and is perfectly suited for touring and concours, as well as taking the family to that holiday dinner.