1939 | Rolls-Royce Wraith Mulliner

1939 Rolls Royce H. J. Mulliner Wraith
Chassis Number: WHC26
Registration Number: DFS162
A simply exceptional rare car with exceptional provenance. Please be sure to read the "Rolls Royce & Bentley Driver" review in the pictures on our web page for the car. This is a car that has never been taken apart & this is apparent in the way it drives having covered a scant 42,000 miles from new.
The Wraith, one of 500 or so examples made, was ordered by a Mrs Wordie of Peebleshire Scotland as a replacement for her H.J.Mulliner Phantom 2. Being of advanced years & limited mobility she had H.J. Mulliner make up the rear compartment with separate seats, of which the passenger side one slides forwards & swivels though 90 degrees allowing for easy ingress & egress. The seating is exremely comfortable akin to sitting in a club armchair, which indeed is what the rear is equipped with. Twin occasional seats are also installed allowing for 6 people to travel in comfort. The car was delivered in August 1939 a month before the outbreak of hostilites which no doubt curtailed its use during the next 5 years of war.
The car is totally original to the interior & shows very very little wear given the very low mileage covered. The pedals show minimal wear & the car as a whole has a taut tight feel to it. A high quality repaint in its original colours of dark blue over black was done in the 1980's & has stood the test of time extremely well. Likewise a full engine rebuild was undertaken not so many miles ago by Agra engineering of Dundee including a full set of new pistons. The engine as a result runs in complete silence & when puling up to a stop one may be forgiven for thinking the engine has ceased to run altogether.
In addition to the moving pivoting rear seating arrangements the car is also fitted with a large opening sunroof to the rear compartment making the rear an airy & light place to be. A pair of slide out sun shades cover the rearmost windows when deployed allowing for privacy of the rear occupants, along with a roll down blind in the rear window. The rear quarterlight windows also tilt open for fresh air on summers days. The rear seats are upholstered in original bedford cord. To the front is original blue leather in really good order. The bulkhead has spectacular walnut wood work with fold out picnic tables & a centrally mounted heater. The original astrakahn rug is found under foot.
The rear of the car has a useful fold down luggage rack. The lid of this also slides open to reveal a full Rolls Royce tool kit in situ. The engine bay is well detailed & in lovely order with large tools in their appointed places along with a Lucas spare bulb holder.
The underside of the car is again beautifully preserved & has escaped the ravages of time & damp that affects so many cars. The front independent suspension pictures are well worth a look to appreciate both the condition of the underside of the car & the ingenuity of the Rolls Royce engineers who devised it all kept in well lubricated order from the one shot system.
To sum up this car is an absolute time warp & worthy of entry to the preservation class at concours events. It is in simply amazing untouched condition & drives absolutely beautifully. You really have to drive cars like this that have never been apart to appreciate how good they were when new. I find fully restored cars never drive inthe same manner as when they left the factory. This is an extraordinary car in a simply stunning state of preservation & as formal cars go has a particularly elegant body with delicate lines to it. When new it would have been the last work in elegance & Refinement.