Introduced in 1938, the Rolls-Royce Wraith marked the culmination of a series of smaller Rolls-Royce models, bridging the gap between the brand’s more compact offerings and the larger, more luxurious designs of the postwar era. The Wraith combined elegance with practicality, designed as an “owner-driven” vehicle that was both stylish and immensely functional.

True to the marque’s exclusive reputation, Wraiths were sold as bare chassis with several bespoke coachbuilders responsible for crafting bodywork. Among the most reputable of these was Thrupp & Maberly of London, which composed the lovely Wraith Saloon offered here. Per copies of its original build sheets, the car’s bare chassis, number WCH28, was sold in March 1939 to Rootes Limited, parent company of Thrupp & Maberly.

Following completion of its coachwork, the car was then sold to its first caretaker, Mr. L. Abbott of Saunders Abbott’s garage in Beckenham, Kent, who used it as daily transport between the garage and his home in London. Following Mr. Abbott’s passing, his widow sold the car to Mr. A.D. Dane, a Rolls-Royce employee who also used the car as daily transport and regularly maintained it at James Young in Bromley. A James Young-issued log of its service history is included in the sale.

Following Mr. Dane’s curation, WCH28 passed through a succession of documented UK-based owners before being imported to the United States in 1966 by Mr. Marion Avakian of Los Angeles, California, who then cherished it for the next three decades. After parting with Avakian, WCH28 moved through a series of keepers before being acquired in 2014 by the consignor who has continued the car’s dedicated care.

As a rare and significant part of Rolls-Royce history, the Wraith represents a pivotal moment in the company’s evolution, bridging prewar and postwar eras with elegance and sophistication. This example, with its continuous and well-documented history of careful ownership, requires nothing more than a new steward to uphold its cherished legacy.