Rolls-Royce first post-war model, the Silver Wraith debuted in late 1946 and employed a chassis similar to that of the Silver Dawn and Mk. VI Bentley, though with a 7” longer wheelbase at 10' 7”. The Wraith, however, was only intended for traditional coachbuilt bodies rather than the Mk. VI'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, after his death in 1955 the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was established, based on his will, with over $70,000,000 and a vast art collection. After this his son Nubar Gulbenkian carried on the philanthropic work.

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 sportscars, only turning to Rolls-Royce 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.

The interior woodwork and dashboard are trimmed in beautiful walnut wood, and it has a speedometer fitted in the rear passenger compartment, Gulbenkian also specified air conditioning, electric windows and a television set, although the latter is long gone. After Gulbenkian sold the car, it appeared in the 1964 motion picture, Les Felins (released in the USA as Joy House and the UK as The Love Cage) which starred Jane Fonda and Alain Delon. The car was sold again in 1968, on this occasion to Rene Gourdon, owner of La Belle Étoile dance hall in Nice, France where it was repainted in bright yellow and kept garaged in the building's basement where, we are informed, it was used as a booth or seating spectacle. Around 30 years ago the Gulbenkian Rolls was recognised for what it was and purchased from Mr Gourdon. Tapes of Les Felins were reviewed and the decision made to restore the Wraith to its former glory. Completed towards the end of 2007 by respected marque specialists Frank Dale & Stepsons, the re-commissioning work included a full re-trim and repaint to the original specification, re-conditioned chrome and a full mechanical review. An employee of Frank Dale recently reminiscing about how they had to quite literally remove a wall at the French night club to retrieve the car before undertaking to complete restoration, which can be seen in some of the photos online and copies within the history file.

Upon selling to a wealthy Egyptian in circa 2009, we are informed, he commissioned Rolls-Royce in to repaint the car with a very 'Gulbenkin' esc. metal flake costing in excess of £18,000 in 2013, it was then retrimmed and the leather dash replaced again by Rolls-Royce at a cost of a further £31,800 with the more favourable woodwork to suit his taste. The car was then later lost along with a Phantom VI, 600 Pullman Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Benz 600 in a high stakes Poker game to our now vendor. Since then, it has been stored in a private collection in London until it was consigned to the Historics sale. One of the custodians of the car also reminisced about when moving the car from an underground car park to professional storage he had the car achieving a speed of 90mph on the A2 only to have a police car come alongside, after an approving nod the office indicated he should slow down and let him about the journey, impressed by the limousines capability from the 4.9 litre Rolls-Royce engine. Indeed, the mechanical condition is very good although having been predominantly stored however, it may benefit from a service should you wish to drive it. This is one of the most iconic and revered cars in the world, perhaps one of the most famous Rolls-Royce ever produced and a car that almost certainly could be an invite to any concourse event across the world.

Gulbenkian's Rolls-Royce has been featured in Classic & Sportscar magazine (April 1989) and 2008 and The Daily Telegraph motoring supplement (14th February 2004). The car is offered with copy chassis cards/specifications and copy magazine articles, details of Rolls-Royce servicing and cosmetic changes as mentioned above and a wealth of photos documenting the car and being such a well-known car much of the history can, of course, be found online. A true one off, incredible provenance and perhaps the most recognisable period Rolls-Royce currently available. Consigned by Mathew Priddy

References for this Lot can also be found here;

https://mycarquest.com/2024/10/actress-wraith-1956-rolls-royce-silver-wraith.html

Lot details
Year: 1956
Make: Rolls-Royce
Model: Silver Wraith LWB Ex-Nubar Gulbenkian 'Perspex Top' Saloon
Registration: tba
Chassis No: LELW74
Odometer: 95,318

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