This is a gorgeous 1953 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn that is a rare US delivery from new example that has benefitted from a concours quality restoration.  This is one of the very best Silver Dawns extant.  This Rolls was owned and enjoyed by Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas and his wife Carolyn Agger in Washington DC from 1965 until 1981.  This is the highly desirable combination of LHD, large bore engine, automatic transmission and “big boot” design.  It is now about as close as you will find to a new Silver Dawn, with an open checkbook available for its restoration.

Chassis No. LSMF-30 was delivered new on June 9^th, 1953, to Mr. John Mason in Cambridge City, Indiana.  By September 16, 1965, Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas and his wife Carolyn Agger acquired the Rolls and enjoyed it for the next 16 years.  The Rolls was an important part of their lives and was frequently written about in Time Magazine and numerous other publications.  By December of 1986, the LSMF-30 was acquired by Margo Reese from Culver City, California.  Ms. Reese enjoyed ownership for the next 25 years.  The present owner acquired the Silver Dawn in 2011 and set out to have it restored through 2014.  Most of the restoration was performed by the highly regarded specialist, Santos, at Tony Handler’s in Los Angeles.  The mechanical restoration is superb in every respect.

LSMF-30 was ordered new in the same stunning color combination as it is today, Velvet Green (X21416) over Shell Grey (222/2128) with a single Ivory pinstripe.  The paint and chrome are concours quality and performed by Lanse Collision Restoration Center in Los Angeles during 2007 for over $19,000.  The quality of the paint and chrome speak for itself, this is concours quality workmanship.

The interior was restored by Harry’s Auto Top & Upholstery in Los Angeles in 2012 for an investment in excess of $19,000.  This included Grey leather, Grey Wilton wool carpeting and Grey wool broadcloth headliner.  All the leather is like new today.  The wood refinishing is spectacular.  The burl walnut and crossbanding is gorgeous and in excellent condition today.  All of the instrumentation works as it should, and the original radio has been restored.  In the glovebox is a modern stereo CD player as well.  The rear window shade can be raised remotely by the driver for increased privacy.

The venerable 4,566 cc (278.6 cu in) inline six-cylinder engine was a replacement engine that was completely rebuilt by Santos at Tony Handler’s.  He has more experience rebuilding Rolls-Royce engines than any other expert in North America.  The radiator, transmission, engine, steering column, and more were all rebuilt or replaced at a cost of more than $40,000, with most of the work being performed in 2014.

The engine has excellent power and the transmission shifts perfectly, much smoother than most any Silver Dawn we’ve driven.  There are no rattles, clunks, vibrations, etc.  All of the instruments work exactly as they should.  The only item we see is that it desperately needs new tires.  We would normally replace them, but we want the new owner to decide on the new tires such as radials versus bias ply, whitewalls versus blackwalls, etc.

LSMF-30 comes complete with its original Owner’s handbook, small tools, large tools with jack and spare, and a custom fitted car cover.  Of course, the history file for this Rolls is extensive and includes the factory guarantee, factory build records, service and restoration invoices since 1989, registration details since 1965 and more.

For more information and details, please call or text Harry Clark at +1.602.245.7200 or email us at sales@classicpromenade.com.  This Rolls is available for inspection at our showroom in Phoenix.  We are pleased to coordinate inspections, and we help coordinate shipping worldwide. We also have financing partners if you are interested in financing.