The Silver Wraith of 1946 ushered in a new era for Rolls- Royce. Yet while the all-new chassis and engine transformed the driving experience and ride, one thing remained the same. Supplied as a rolling chassis, it was one of the last Rolls- Royces that allowed coachbuilders free reign to exercise their craft before the move towards standardized factory bodies. Indeed, it’s almost as if coachbuilders saw the writing on the wall, as the designs were wide and varied, but few were as elegant and exclusive as the HJ Mulliner Sedanca de Ville touring limousine. Additionally, the Mulliner Sedanca was one of the most expensive choices, more than doubling the price of the bare rolling chassis. This 1954 example has been comprehensively restored and shows 33,509 miles on the odometer. The new, much stiffer chassis featured independent front suspension and powerful servo-assisted hydromechanical brakes, while the development of the F-head 6-cylinder engine, with cast-iron block and aluminum head, overhead intake and side exhaust valves, had already been proven during World War II in troop carriers and light tanks. Initially produced with a displacement of 4.25L producing 125-135 HP, it expanded to 4.6L and, in 1954 to, 4.9L with output around 178 HP. This rare 1954 Mulliner Sedanca de Ville features that most powerful 4.9L engine, and thus it combines true postwar performance and refinement with classical prewar elegance. Indeed, with its sliding top to the chauffeur’s compartment there are echoes of the Goldfinger 1937 Phantom III from the 1964 Bond movie, and surely only a villain would demand the chauffeur has the top open in the rain. As was the custom on the most exclusive cars, the front compartment is upholstered in hard-wearing leather, while the beautifully appointed and spacious walnut-trimmed rear, divided by a raising glass partition for privacy, is upholstered in more opulent wool cloth. The exterior of this right-hand drive car features whitewall tires, twin auxiliary driving lamps and two notable flourishes. One is the illuminated Lalique Chrysis glass mascot, the other the highly distinctive applied, painted canework weave. In addition to heads of state, private clients for the prodigiously expensive Silver Wraith included Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, radio and TV star Red Skelton and, later, fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent, who knew a thing or two about style. This stylish Mulliner Sedanca evokes the elegance of a passing age, with just a hint of Norma Desmond about it, for gliding along Sunset Boulevard on the way to the Hollywood studio.
