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1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

James Young Limousine, Sunroof, Gorgeous Veneer, Survivor

$54,800

Harry's Thoughts

I love this Rolls. Frankly, if I weren't just completing a full restoration of a 1950 Silver Wraith, I would be buying this for my own collection. The styling, huge sunroof and the gorgeous interior are fantastic. It drives beautifully and the history is riveting.

THE ESSENTIALS

See inspection report, full photos, videos and more at classicpromenade.com.  

We are pleased to present this beautiful original 1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith James Young Four Light Limousine (chassis No. WLE6) that is a beautiful original example.  This is a driver-quality Silver Wraith that we believe is worthy of an interior restoration, or kept as a preserved survivor.  The history of this car is fantastic and this is, in our opinion, one of the best styles penned by James Young for the Silver Wraith.  The styling is sleek and classic, and features ample amounts of the phenomenal James Young woodwork inside and a generous sunroof.

WLE6 was first delivered from the factory in January 1951. The first registered owner of WLE6 was the famous Lord Beaverbrook, who was one of the leading figures in the British empire through both world wars and the publisher of the largest circulation newspaper in the world.  The second owner of this Silver Wraith is documented to be Kenneth D. Watson of Denver, CO.  He was a longtime RROC member and had WLE6 listed in the directory from 1966 until 1981.  By August 11, 1988, it was acquired by the father of its present owner, David Capra, also from Denver, CO.  Mr. Capra enjoyed and cherished her for the past 33 years.

WLE6 is a James Young Limousine with Body Design WR18A and Body Number 1755.  This is one of only a handful of examples of this body design built during 1951.

The deep and rich Masons Black livery is complimented with tan coachstripes and is in tour quality condition still retaining its beautiful luster and shine. We are not sure if much of the paint is original or if it is an older repaint from the 1970’s or early 1980’s.  But it is in overall nice condition. There are many small paint chips that have been touched up over the decades.  There are a few dings and near the drivers rear door there is some very fine cracking, most of which is not noticeable without close inspection.  The chrome and stainless trim are all very good to excellent.  The rear bumper has more fine scratches from accessing the trunk over the years. The radiator shell has the expected light scratches in the stainless.

We love the style of the James Young close-coupled passenger compartment that is devoid of the rear quarter light glass. And the Lucas R100 headlights are beautiful and give the car an imposing and formal pre-War appearance.  It also features the center driving light and two auxiliary Lucas fog lights.

The interior is also in beautiful mostly original condition with the expected patina from 70 years of use.  The tan-colored leather is soft and supple but has many areas where the leather has cracked from age.  The leather has had a couple sections replaced many years ago and the rear seat bottom has been replaced using matching tan vinyl.  The arm rests in the rear passenger compartment have some cracking. The wood veneer is gorgeous.  Few Rolls-Royces have such stunning use of interior wood and spectacular patterns than James Young limousines. This Rolls is worthy of the investment to replace the leather and refinish the wood.

The wood grain is beautifully and heavily contrasted and is in very nice condition to be refinished. There are very few areas where the veneer would need to be replaced. The rear compartment has a beautiful cocktail cabinet, twin picnic tables which have the compartments for the glasses and flasks (the Rolls does not have the fittings for the requisites).  The rear passenger center armrest has a compartment for personal items.

The matching tan wool carpeting was replaced many years ago and is in good condition.  This James Young limousine also features a multi-band radio and the tool kit is nearly complete and is under the trunk compartment for large and small tools.  The steering wheel has some normal small cracking as shown in the photo gallery.

The engine compartment is fairly well detailed and presents itself very well as a well maintained example.  All the evidence suggests that this is a relatively low mileage example: the wear is minimal on the pedals, no wear near the keyhole for the ignition lock and the overall wear of the car.  The car drives tight and is responsive.  The 4.6 liter engine combined with its four-speed manual transmission results in a very smooth and reliable drivetrain.  The undercarriage was undercoated when new and is all original, never having been detailed.  The leather gators wrapping the rear leave springs are all intact and in good condition, confirming that this Rolls had not been exposed to inclement weather for years while in England.  There is a small sheet metal section under the trunk that has some corrosion and would be easily replaced, if desired.

All documents and notes are included in the sale of this Silver Wraith.  Our 158-point inspection report is published on our site for this Rolls.  We’ve driven her for about 50 miles, including on the highway, and she drives and operates well.  More recently it has benefitted from a new clutch, carburetor rebuild and fuel pump.

For more information and details on this Rolls-Royce, call, text or email Harry Clark at +1.602.245.7200 or harry@classicpromenade.com.  This Rolls is available for inspection at our Phoenix showroom.

1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

$54,800

PRIVATE SALE STATUS
SELLER NAME
LOCATION USA
VIEWS 5368

Videos: 1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

Comments


Sirakian
May 5, 2021

In Fiew Word what would be the near price you want for this car because i live in south west of France
And cannot met you easily
Thank you for your answer
Best Regards. JF SIRAKIAN
jfsirakian@wanadoo.fr

Classic Promenade
May 15, 2021

We can accept $58,000, plus a $395 documentation fee. This is a lovely Rolls. Thanks, Harry

Sirakian
May 4, 2021

Good evening from Paris
If i understand you havé bought this car your self to sell by private sale status
What is the reason ? Not enough good offer ?
Best Regards

 
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith
1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

$54,800

VIN WLE6
BODY STYLE Saloon with Division
FUEL Gasoline
MILES 33,103
GEARBOX 4-Speed
DOORS 4
INT COLOR Tan Leather
EXT COLOR Masons Black
YEAR 1951
LOCATION Phoenix, AZ
PRIVATE SALE STATUS
SELLER
VIEWS 5368

Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

Interesting Fact: The Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith is a four-door saloon style vehicle that was produced by the company from 1946 to 1958. In accordance with the typical trend of Rolls-Royce vehicles, only 1,883 units were produced over those years; creating a natural rarity for the vehicle. Under the hood, Rolls-Royce postwar straight six engine was…
Interesting Fact: The Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith is a four-door saloon style vehicle that was produced by the company from 1946 to 1958. In accordance with the typical trend of Rolls-Royce vehicles, only 1,883 units were produced over those years; creating a natural rarity for the vehicle. Under the hood, Rolls-Royce postwar straight six engine was added along with a four-speed manual transmission (automatic transmission became available for the model starting in 1952). This model was based heavily upon the prewar Rolls-Royce wraith that was only in production for a single year. Over the years, the Silver Wraith has been used by quite a number of famous members of society. In fact, this vehicle is still the Presidential car for both the Irish and Brazilian presidents. It also has been used as the Royal Dutch State Limousine and been featured in many movies. This widespread fame has always made the Silver Wraith popular, but it is more so now due to its status as a classic vehicle!

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