1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Long Wheelbase Touring Car

Coachwork by H.J. Mulliner

4,887cc F-Head Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
Single Downdraft Carburetor
Approximately 125bhp
4-Speed Automatic Transmission
Independent Front Suspension – Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes

*Ordered new by Chauncey Devereaux Stillman, heir to what became Citibank
*The only example ordered without a divider
*A family luxury car
*Copies of factory records on file

THE ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER WRAITH

Rolls-Royce's first post-war model, the Silver Wraith debuted in late 1946 and employed a chassis similar to that of the Silver Dawn and MkVI Bentley, though with a 7" longer wheelbase at 10' 7". The Wraith, however, was only intended for traditional coachbuilt bodies rather than the MkVI's pioneering 'standard steel' bodywork. 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. 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.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This regal Rolls was ordered new by Chauncey Devereux Stillman, grandson of James Stillman—the founder of what later became Citibank. While Stillman could have afforded a life of absolute leisure, he never rested on his laurels serving as an intelligence officer aboard the USS Enterprise during WWII and pursued numerous charitable causes in the post-WWII period.

Chauncey ordered his Silver Wraith in the winter of 1955 through J.S. Inskip in New York. Selecting Mulliner style 7356 Touring coachwork, he further ordered black over tan Connolly hides and uniquely opted for a more sociable, non-division interior—the only example so ordered—but with blind quarters for rear privacy. Prior to delivery of the car in the early spring of '56, Inskip fitted a roof ducted air conditioning system and then sent the car up to Stillman's spectacular and renown 1,000+ acre garden estate, Wethersfield, in Amenia, New York.

The Rolls would enjoy a life of careful use eventually heading south into the collection of William Gounaris of Louisville, Kentucky from 1988-1998, then to Vantage Motorworks in Miami and Florida from 1998-2001. The car then went off to a Las Vegas collection for some time before finding its way back to Florida before. Its current owner acquired the car in 2014. Believed to be largely original cosmetically—save for the addition of primrose paint work on the center section of the bodywork and wheels—it appears in similar condition today. Seeing limited road use in the past seven years, the supreme waftability of this Rolls will no doubt best be enjoyed after some recommissioning.

Between its famous original owner, uniquely sociable coachwork, and rare left-drive layout, there are few boxes this lovely Silver Wraith doesn't tick!