1939 | Rolls-Royce Wraith

The 25/30 Wraith was created as a more powerful and refined successor to the Rolls-Royce 20/25, targeting the brand's affluent clientele who desired the highest levels of luxury and power. The name ‘Wraith evoked a sense of silent, ghostly smoothness, aligning with Rolls-Royce's reputation for effortless, quiet motoring. As with all previous Rolls-Royce products before the second world war, the Wraith was sold as a rolling chassis, with buyers commissioning custom coachbuilt bodies from companies like James Young, Park Ward, Hooper & Co, or H.J. Mulliner. This allowed for bespoke designs, ranging from saloons to limousines and drophead coupés.

Only 492 chassis of this type were built, production being halted due to the outbreak of World War II in 1939, when Rolls-Royce shifted focus to wartime manufacturing, particularly aero engines. These cars were aimed at the elite, the Wraith was popular among British aristocracy, businessmen, and international buyers. Its bespoke nature made each car unique, reflecting the owner's taste and status. The Wraith was praised for its near-silent operation, luxurious interior (dependent on coachbuilder), and smooth ride, embodying Rolls-Royce's commitment to excellence.

The 25/30 Wraith was one of the last pre-war Rolls-Royce models, marking the end of an era for bespoke luxury cars before mass production became more common post-war. This particular example was built by Royal coachbuilders Hooper &Co and a record in the history file for this car shows they built examples for both the King of England and the King of Greece. Originally, it this car was built for a Mr. J. C Lilley on a chassis produced in March 1939. There's an interesting series of notes and articles in the file describing being bought second hand by Ilford Council for the mayor in 1953. Apparently they were dissatisfied with a Humber Limousine bought new in 1947 which was subsequently returned to the manufacturers Rootes for evaluation.

We know that this car spent some time in the United States during the 1980s, before being reimported in 1994. The last owner has owned this car for 25 years as part of a small wedding hire fleet. This one was his pride and joy. It had significant restoration work done to bring it up to the standard required for this type of work and that included a five figure investment in a new cylinder head, and engine rebuild, since which it has done less than 12,000 miles. The car comfortably seats seven people using the occasional fold down rear seats. It has an electric glass division and the Bedford cord trimmed rear compartment is quite simply outstanding. Woodwork throughout is excellent. The chauffeur area is trimmed with leather. It has one of the quietest engines we've ever heard on this model and it is almost silent at idle. On the road, the performance is brisk and it has both a good gearbox and quiet axle. The brakes are exceptionally good too. It is now more than twenty years since paint work was done, and although it still has a deep lustrous shine, it is not without imperfections. The chrome was restored to a high standard during its time in the USA. This truly magnificent and rare Rolls-Royce represents amazing value at £32,995