The Silver Wraith was the first post-war
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
. It was made from 1946 to 1958 as only a chassis at Rolls-Royce's former
Merlin engine plant, their
Crewe factory, alongside the shorter
Bentley Mark VI. The Bentley too was available as a chassis for coachbuilders but also for the first time could be bought with a Rolls-Royce built standard steel body.
It was announced by Rolls-Royce in April 1946 as the
25/30 hp replacement for the 1939 Wraith in what had been their 20 hp and 20/25 hp market sector, that is to say Rolls-Royce's smaller car. The size was chosen to be in keeping with the mood of post-war austerity. Even very limited production of the chassis of the larger car, the
Phantom IV, was not resumed until 1950 and then, officially, only for Heads of State.
Improvements announced were: chromium-plated cylinder bores for the
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
; a new more rigid chassis frame to go with new independent front suspension; and a new
synchromesh gearbox. Chassis lubrication was now centralised.
[News in Brief. ''The Times'', Thursday, 4 April 1946; pg. 2; Issue 50418]
Engine
The straight six-cylinder postwar engine, which had been briefly made for the aborted by war
Bentley Mark V, replaced conventional overhead valve gear with an
F-head
The intake/inlet over exhaust, or "IOE" engine, known in the US as F-head, is a four-stroke internal combustion engine whose valvetrain comprises OHV inlet valves within the cylinder head and exhaust side-valves within the engine block.V.A.W H ...
configuration of overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves and reshaped combustion chambers. There were new main and big-end bearings and a more efficient drive to the timing gear. To this prewar mix Rolls-Royce added chromed bores. Initially, this engine retained the Mark V's capacity of increased from 1951 to and in 1955, after the introduction of the (standard
wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
) Silver Cloud, to for the remaining Silver Wraiths.
Chassis
The first cars had an entirely new 127 inch (3226 mm) wheelbase chassis which differed considerably from that of the pre-war
Wraith and was much nearer rigid. It matched the new Bentley chassis but with an extra 7 inch section added to the centre. The new chassis had coil sprung independent front suspension, which required a very rigid chassis to function properly, and at the rear conventional semi-elliptic springs and live axle. The braking system was a hybrid hydro-mechanical system with hydraulic front brakes and mechanical rears using the mechanical servo similar to that of the pre-war cars.
The last short-wheelbase cars were delivered in November 1953. The long, 133 inch (3378 mm), wheelbase chassis was announced in 1951 and the first delivered in January 1952. 639 were made by the time of the last deliveries in October 1958.
This was not quite the last Rolls-Royce model to be supplied as a "chassis only" ready for a wide variety of bespoke coachwork designed and made by a rapidly declining number of specialist coachbuilders.
Most of the bodies selected used "formal" limousine designs.
[
From 1949 until 1955 customers wishing to buy a Rolls-Royce fitted with a much smaller standard steel body could purchase the ]Silver Dawn
''Silver Dawn'' is an outdoor 1980 stainless steel sculpture by Spanish American artist Manuel Izquierdo, installed at Wallace Park in northwest Portland, Oregon, in the United States.
Description and history
''Silver Dawn'' is a stainless steel ...
. It rode on a chassis seven inches shorter than the Silver Wraith, and was almost identical to Rolls-Royce's Bentley Standard Steel saloon available alongside the Silver Wraith since July 1946.
Automatic transmission
Initially only a four-speed manual gearbox was offered, but this was supplemented by a General Motors ''Hydramatic
Hydramatic (also known as Hydra-Matic) is an automatic transmission developed by both General Motors' Cadillac and Oldsmobile divisions. Introduced in 1939 for the 1940 model year vehicles, the ''Hydramatic'' was the first mass-produced fully-a ...
'' automatic option from 1952.
Official uses
*Irish Presidential State Car
The Presidential State Car is the official state car of the President of Ireland. It is a 1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith landaulette.
Origins
Douglas Hyde, the first president of Ireland was provided with a state car, but his near fatal strok ...
– 1947–present
* Brazilian Presidential Ceremonial State Car – 1952–present
* President of Zimbabwe's Ceremonial State Car - 1952–present
*Royal Dutch State Limousine
The Royal Dutch State Limousine is the former official state car of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, based on a custom-built 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Limousine Landaulette.
History
A seven-seater motorcar was commissioned by Queen Julia ...
– 1958
*Royal Danish Ceremonial Car "Store Krone"
The Royal Danish Ceremonial Car "Store Krone" is a 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith limousine. It has served since new as the official state car of the Danish head of state, currently Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The name "Store Krone" (Danish for ...
(Great Crown) – 1958
* Royal Greek Ceremonial Car (''Silver Wraith Hooper'' version) – 1959
* 2 Australian Ceremonial Cars for Royal Tour (Silver Wraith All-weather tourer by Hooper) – 1959
* Chief Minister of Penang Island,Federal Territory of Malaysia. Previously owned by Sir Henry Gurney, British High Commissioner of Malaya Before being ambushed by communist forces during the Malayan Emergency. – circa 1951
Film appearances
*''Witness for the Prosecution
In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'' (1957)
*'' Indiscreet'' (1958)
*''Let's Make Love
''Let's Make Love'' is a 1960 American musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. Directed by George Cukor and produced by Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, Hal Kanter, and Arthur Miller, the film ...
'' (1960)
*''Victim
Victim(s) or The Victim may refer to:
People
* Crime victim
* Victim, in psychotherapy, a posited role in the Karpman drama triangle model of transactional analysis
Films and television
* ''The Victim'' (1916 film), an American silent film by ...
'' (1961)
*'' From Russia with Love'' (1963)
*''The Love Bug
''The Love Bug'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and the first in a franchise by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 19 ...
'' (1968)
*'' The Return of the Pink Panther'' (1975)
*''Stardust Memories
''Stardust Memories'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper and Marie-Christine Barrault. Sharon Stone has a brief role, in her film debut. The film is abo ...
'' (1980)
*''Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...
'' (1981)
*''Withnail and I
''Withnail and I'' is a 1987 British black comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" (portrayed by Richard E. Gran ...
'' (1987)
*'' The Karate Kid, Part III'' (1989)
*''Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'' (1989)
*''Batman Returns
''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman'' (1989) and the second installment in the 1989–1997 ''Batman ...
'' (1992)
*''The Odd Couple II
''The Odd Couple II'' is a 1998 American buddy comedy film and the sequel to the 1968 film ''The Odd Couple''. It was the final film written and produced by Neil Simon, and starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Released nearly three decades lat ...
" (1998)
*''James Dean
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...
'' (2001)
*''The Scapegoat
A scapegoat is a goat used in a religious ritual or the victim of scapegoating, the singling out of a party for unmerited blame.
Scapegoat or The Scapegoat may also refer to:
Places
* Scapegoat Wilderness, a Wilderness Area in Montana
** Scapeg ...
'' (2012)
*''Spectre
Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to:
Religion and spirituality
* Vision (spirituality)
* Apparitional experience
* Ghost
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
'' (2015)
Gallery
State cars
File:1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith landaulette - Irish Presidential Car.jpg, Presidential State Car (Ireland) 1947
File:Solenidades. Homenagens (46509135282) (cropped).jpg, Presidential State Car (Brazil)
The Presidential State Car is the official state car of the President of Brazil.
Non-ceremonial vehicles
For day-to-day ground travel, the president of Brazil uses an armored version of the 2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid, built on a Ford CD4 platform.
...
1952
File:Rollsroyce (cropped).JPG, Royal Dutch State Limousine
The Royal Dutch State Limousine is the former official state car of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, based on a custom-built 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Limousine Landaulette.
History
A seven-seater motorcar was commissioned by Queen Julia ...
1958
File:Cortege of Prince Henrik 03 (cropped).jpg, Royal Danish Ceremonial Car "Store Krone"
The Royal Danish Ceremonial Car "Store Krone" is a 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith limousine. It has served since new as the official state car of the Danish head of state, currently Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The name "Store Krone" (Danish for ...
1958
File:Josip Broz Tito in cesar Haile Selassie v Kopru 1959 (2).jpg, Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
and Emperor Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
1959
File:1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Gulbenkian (cropped).jpg, 1956 Silver Wraith by Hooper clear perspex top for Nubar Gulbenkian
Nubar Sarkis Gulbenkian ( hy, Նուպար Սարգիս Կիւլպէնկեան; 2 June 1896 – 10 January 1972) was an Armenian-British business magnate and socialite born in the Ottoman empire. During World War II, he helped organize the ...
References
External links
Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, book by Martin Bennett
Pictures, information and specs @ Conceptcarz.com
{{Portalbar, United Kingdom, Transport
Silver Wraith
Cars introduced in 1946
1950s cars
Road transport of heads of state
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
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Luxury vehicles
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