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LOT 359
Originally the property of Maurice Kinn, proprietor of 'New Musical Express' 1955 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith Limousine Coachwork by James Young Registration no. RXY 606 Chassis no. DLW112 Engine no. L111D
Sold for £31,050 inc. premium
Lot 359
1955 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith Limousine Coachwork by James Young Registration no. RXY 606 Chassis no. DLW112 Engine no. L111D
Originally the property of Maurice Kinn, proprietor of 'New Musical Express'
1955 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith Limousine
Coachwork by James Young
Registration no. RXY 606
Chassis no. DLW112
Engine no. L111D
1955 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith Limousine
Coachwork by James Young
Registration no. RXY 606
Chassis no. DLW112
Engine no. L111D
Footnotes
The last word in motoring luxury in its day, this automatic-transmission Silver Wraith on the long-wheelbase chassis was completed with formal limousine coachwork by James Young of Bromley, a company that had long been established among the foremost coachbuilders for upmarket chassis. Chassis number 'DLW112' was ordered in 1954 by music promoter, the late Maurice Kinn, who had purchased the ailing 'Accordion Times & Musical Express' for £1,000, just as it was about to go into liquidation. Re-branded, the paper first appeared as the 'New Musical Express' on 7th March 1952 and by the 1970s had established itself as the biggest-selling and most influential music journal in the UK. There is a copy of The Guardian's Maurice Kinn obituary on file, which mentions him using his Rolls-Royce limousine to deliver flowers to the secretary of the Marty Wilde Fan Club.
Delivered on 8th September 1955 via Jack Barclay Ltd of London W1, the Wraith was ordered with Silver Dawn type headlamps, electrically operated internal division, hip flasks (situated below the left side drop-down table) and shot glasses (below the right side drop-down table).
Some time after 1973 (date unknown) the Rolls-Royce was exported to the USA and later became part of a collection of cars owned by Randolph W Jones of Berryville, Virginia. The accompanying history file contains details of repairs and restoration work undertaken by Randolph Jones totalling in excess of $20,000. In 2009, Mr Jones advertised the Rolls Royce for sale and it was purchased by the current owner, who arranged for its return to the UK. HMRC agreed that the Rolls Royce should be classified as a vehicle of historic interest and the DVLA reallocated the original registration number 'RXY 606', which is now non-transferable.
Since 2009, the Silver Wraith has formed part of the owner's fleet of wedding cars and been used only for weddings. On acquisition the body was repainted from primrose over garnet to silver grey. The carpets have been replaced but the interior leather remains original. Described as in generally satisfactory condition, with no known mechanical or electrical problems, the car is offered with the aforementioned invoices, copy chassis cards, current MoT certificate and V5C registration document.
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