Vehicle Description
1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith Series B Touring Limousine ?Seldom-seen
pre-war Rolls-Royce ?Included with Chassis Card Details from
Rolls-Royce Enthusiast?s Club Archives ?One of 491 examples made in
1938 and 1939 ?Ordered at the Brussels Car Show on 12/09/38 and
completed on 4/14/39 for J.J Kino who was a Belgian diplomat
?Competing coachbuilder, A. Mulliner Ltd. in Northampton, England
owned the car until October 21, 1940 ?4.3L OHV straight
six-cylinder engine ?Four-speed manual transmission with
synchromesh on second, third and fourth gears; 8x34 final drive
?Black exterior with silver trim ?Hooper & Company Coachwork
featuring original brown front Connolly Leather upholstery with tan
rear cloth upholstery. Front seats have air bladders for lumbar,
lateral supports ?136-inch wheelbase ?First year of electric power
for dividing window and curtain between front and back ??Bijur?
automatic chassis lubrication system ??Safe-T-Flex? independent
front suspension, licensed from Packard ?Dual side-mounted spare
tires with covers ?Original key, original toolbox is 2/3 complete;
hydraulic jack system ?Front and rear heaters ?Dual fog lights,
mascot original to car, original Herm?s mirror, parfum bottle and
clock ?Documents include original Rolls-Royce Handbook; a copy of
the Rolls-Royce Owners? Club, June 2002; hand-written diagrams and
printed ones related to vehicle systems; parts and service
invoices; a copy of ?The Flying Lady,? May 2004; a black-and-white
photo of the car, probably commissioned by Hooper that is in the
South Kensington Science Museum; Hooper Coachbuilders Treasures in
the Denver Public Library Stately, formal and dripping with status,
pre-World War II Rolls-Royces have a look unmatched by any other
car. One glance and you know what this car is and what it was
designed to do. This 1939 Wraith Touring Limousine Series B was one
of 491 examples made during 1938 and 1939 and it retains its
complete and original interior, which is an exceedingly rare find
on a car from the 1930s! Made in Derby, England, the order was made
December 9, 1938 at the Brussels Car Show, R-R began chassis
fabrication on December 12, 1938 and it was delivered to Hooper &
Company Coachwork on February 1, 1939. The instruction book, in
English and French, were issued to Hooper?s on February 21, 1939.
The original owner was a J.J. Kino, Esq. in Belgium. The second
owner was a curious turn, someone at a competing coachbuilder, A.
Mulliner Ltd. in Northampton, England owned the car until October
21, 1940. Next, an Eric Fox of Fox?s Glacier Mints, Ltd. in
Leicester owned it from October 28, 1940 until September 7, 1948
then an R. J. Metcalfe of Leicester bought it on October 19, 1953.
Between 1953 and 2012, ownership records are unknown. On March 21,
2012, a Steven B. in Michigan bought the car. Dressed in black
augmented with silver doors and fenders, the paint and trim are in
overall excellent order, as expected. The vehicle?s windows are
clear and intact, its lights are haze-free and original, with two
large foglights perched above the front bumper and below the
owl-like dual headlights. Atop the radiator, the mascot is original
to the car. There are dual, side-mounted spare tires mounted in the
front fenders. Rolls-Royce did not begin making its own car bodies
until 1949. This example?s coachwork is from Hooper & Company, as
noted above. The details are present for those who take the time to
examine them. For example, the aluminum door handles mimic the
overall body shape; this is an intentional and unusual design
feature. Both underside panels are intact, too. The coachwork is
straight and solid and the chrome bumpers are in excellent order.
This car still has his original key, its original toolbox is
two-third complete and it has a hydraulic jack system but the
wipers are inoperable. This car rolls on Lester Company tires, size
6.00/6.50-17 at all four corners. Each tire is mounted on a steel
wheel, topped by steel wheel disc covers. The wheel covers are in
very good order while the tires are in good, original condition.
The 4.3L inline six-cylinder, overhead valve engine was based on
that of the 25/30 but featured a cross flow cylinder head, which
placed the inlet and exhaust valves opposite one another. The
four-speed gearbox has synchromesh on second, third and fourth
speeds and retained the traditional right-hand gear change. The
Wraith was the first year and model to feature an independent, coil
sprung front suspension based on the ?Safe-T-Flex? design from
Packard?s 120 and under license. It used an unequal upper and lower
A-arm type with the largest possible lower A-arm composed of two
different arms bolted together at a ninety-degree angle. Advantages
claimed for the system included superior maintenance of wheel
alignment from the wide spread of the lower A-arm, a permanent
fixing of the caster angle, and an increased percentage of the
braking force transmitted to the frame through the torque arm. It
retained semi-elliptical leaf springs on the rear axle, along with
licensing of the automatic ?Bijur? chassis lubrication system. The
hydraulic dampers at the front had their damping rate controlled by
governor and so varied with the speed of the car, making it
superior to its predecessor, the 25/30 H.P., and on par with the
Phantom III. The car was still built on a separate chassis, but
this was now of welded rather than the traditional riveted
construction. The drum brakes were assisted by a mechanical servo
driven by the engine patented by Hispano-Suiza and built by
Rolls-Royce under license. Wire wheels of 17-inch diameter were
fitted, with the spokes usually covered by removable discs. A
built-in hydraulic jacking system was fitted operated by a lever
under the passenger seat. Inside, the front section of the cabin is
finished Connolly brown leather. In the back is an expansive
cocoon, waiting for its next passengers. The tan cloth bench is
stuffed with goose down, and complete with center armrest looks
great, as does its Wilton wool carpet. For the woman passenger, the
original Herm?s mirror, parfum bottle and clock. The front bench
seat is in satisfactory order, along with the matching carpet and
headliner, which are in great condition. The front seats also have
air bladders for lumbar, lateral supports. There are front and rear
heaters. A three-spoke steering wheel faces the driver, extending
from an instrument panel that is in excellent shape, as are the
inner door panels. A floor-mounted shifter completes the interior.
Competition to this Rolls-Royce in 1939 included similar limousines
from Cadillac?s Series 39-60 Special Sedan, Chrysler?s Custom
Imperial 8 Series C24, Lincoln?s V-12 Series and Packard?s Twelve
1708 Series. For pre-war car collectors, Rolls-Royce and Bentley
fans, this stunning example of automobilia is available at
MotoeXotica Classic Cars. You owe it to yourself to check it out,
so stop by today! VIN: WMB-35?EIN: A-7-WC This car is currently
located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on
the odometer shows 90,025 kilometers or 55,939 miles. It is sold as
is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT
AND DRIVE!!!? Note: Please see full terms and conditions listed
below that pertain to the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.