1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith 'Park Ward' Saloon

Rolls-Royce introduced the Silver Wraith in April 1946 and the first new post-war model to emerge from Crewe proved singularly successful, remaining in production until 1959. The Silver Wraith maintained the pre-war tradition of delivering the cars without bodywork; it was left up to the clients to decide which coachbuilder and what style body they preferred. With coil-sprung front suspension and a live axle at the rear with semi-elliptic springs, the Silver Wraith was mechanically conventional, also using hydraulic brakes at the front and mechanical rear brakes. The Silver Wraith underwent several modifications during its production cycle, with an automatic gearbox (sourced from General Motors) being added as an option in 1952, power steering in 1956 while the six-cylinder engine was enlarged first to 4566cc in 1951, then to 4887cc in 1954. Simultaneously replacing both the Phantom III and smaller Wraith in the line-up, Rolls-Royce offered the option of a longer wheelbase from 1951 and while a number of Silver Wraiths were sold to owner-drivers, many more went to customers who expected to be chauffeured. One of the most luxurious cars available in the immediate post-war period, some 1,883 Silver Wraiths were built in total, of which 1,244 were on the shorter wheelbase.