Those familiar with Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale ‘The Princess and the Pea’ will not be surprised to learn that HRH Princess Margaret insisted that the upholstery piping on the front and rear seats of this, her final Rolls-Royce, be moved back so that there was no danger of it contacting her neck should she choose to recline at any stage.
Genuine Princesses it seems really are more sensitive than their subjects. The rest of the car’s interior is similarly bespoke with a false floor to the rear, the back seat squab mounted as low as possible (HRH was only 5ft 1in tall), enlarged C-post vanity mirrors, special small spotlights added to each rear cantrail, Green Cloth upholstery throughout (with a loose cover for the driver’s seat), and Black Nuella leather being used to clothe the top and bottom of the dashboard, centre console and door cards. The dashboard itself carried a Matt Rosewood veneer and did without a lock for the glovebox. The latter contained the switch for the roof-mounted Police Escort light and thus needed to be instantly accessible. A centre rear seatbelt was omitted as were armrests to the rear doors and Duchess straps (hardly fitting for a Princess).
Handbuilt to special order, the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II had a four-inch longer wheelbase than its humbler Silver Shadow II sibling. Beloved of the world’s elite, just 2,135 were made between 1977 and 1980.
H&H have had the privilege of offering several Royal cars over the years and it is not uncommon for them to be specified with similarly non-reflective interiors so as to make photographing their occupants easier (HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s 1954 Lagonda 3 Litre that fetched £340,000 in April 2016 eschewed wood in favour of Dark Green leather for its dashboard and door cappings). Such alterations are not motivated by pride but rather a consciousness that once in the public eye members of the Royal Family are very much on parade. To the exterior, HRH Princess Margaret ordered that chassis LRH0039342 should have opening front quarter lights and its side indicator repeater lights repositioned in the chrome swage line (rather than below it as was standard). The accompanying copy build sheets also note: ‘Silver Wraith II emblem on boot and RR badges on rear quarters are NOT REQUIRED’. The roof above the windscreen was modified to accommodate a detachable flag mast and illuminated shield.
HRH Princess Margaret gave Rolls-Royce less than five months to tailor the Silver Wraith II to her personal specification. Indeed, chassis LRH0039342 had originally been ordered in Moorland Green with Beige leather upholstery by J. Barrett Esq. via Jack Barclay Ltd before Crewe requisitioned it. To meet such a tight deadline many of the unique interior fittings were transferred across from HRH Princess Margaret’s former car, chassis LRH36157, and reconditioned accordingly. Finished in Cardinal Red, ‘3 GXM’ was delivered to Kensington Palace on 16th May 1980. A warranty card issued the same day lists the purchaser’s name correctly. However, all the way through the order process she had been referred to under the pseudonym ‘Mr Edgar’. No spendthrift, HRH Princess Margaret nevertheless kept her special order Rolls-Royce for twenty-two years; its last official journey being to convey family members to her funeral at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on 15th February 2002.
Exactly how many notable personages have been conveyed in this one-off Silver Wraith II remains a mystery. Although, it is known to have hosted Paul Getty, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Lady Diana Spencer (before she married Prince Charles), HM The Queen and Queen Mary, The Queen Mother. Maintained by Rolls-Royce and subsequently entrusted to marque specialist Chris Lee, chassis LRH0039342 had covered 44,000 miles by the time that The Earl of Snowdon David Linley inherited it. Pilloried in the tabloid press at the time for selling off so important an heirloom, Snowdon has since told the vendor that he only did so after offering the car to the Royal Mews. A keen Royalist, Ronald Allwright became the Silver Wraith II’s first registered keeper when he bought it from marque specialist P&A Wood in June 2002.
In addition to renewing the Black Everflex roof, fitting a refurbished steering rack and routine maintenance, Mr Allwright also went to great pains to research the Rolls-Royce’s history entering into correspondence with The Right Honourable The Earl of Snowdon and receiving Christmas cards from HRH Princess Margaret’s chauffeur, Dave Griffin. The subject of a four-page article by Martin Buckley in the February 2016 issue of Classic & Sportscar magazine, chassis LRH0039342 was purchased by the seller from JD Classics shortly thereafter. Joining a significant private collection, it had a battery trickle charger / conditioner installed and underwent a thorough waxoyl treatment at a cost of some £4,554. Starting readily upon inspection, the Rolls-Royce has covered just two dozen miles since it was last serviced by Bentley Leicester on 3rd January 2018 at 47,336 miles.
Forever in the shadow of her older sister HM The Queen, HRH Princess Margaret did her best to live her own life, her own way. Keeping a car for twenty-two years is not typical of the Royal Family nor is personalising it to this degree. A very special, very important and low mileage Silver Wraith II which surely belongs in a museum. Offered for sale with copy build records, service invoices and a wealth of period photos.
PLEASE NOTE: The number plate ‘3 GXM’ was affixed to several of HRH Princess Margaret’s cars and is not included in the sale of chassis LRH0039342. The number plates visible in the photos are for display purposes only. The Silver Wraith II is currently registered as ‘PMY 542W’. That said, we do know the owner of the registration number ‘3 GXM’ and would be happy to negotiate its purchase should a successful buyer of the Rolls-Royce so wish.
FLAMBOYANT FILM DIRECTOR MICHAEL WINNER’S BENTLEY T SERIES
ESTIMATE £25,000 TO £30,000
“I drive either a 1975 Bentley or a convertible 1992 Rolls-Royce Corniche. And I am driven in a 1966 Rolls-Royce Phantom, such as the Queen uses a lot” (Michael Winner, The Independent, February 2010).
A syndicated journalist while still at school, Michael Winner later worked for the BBC and went on to make over thirty feature films starring the likes of: Orson Welles, Marlon Brando, James Stewart, Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, Faye Dunaway, Michael Caine, Robert Mitchum, Burt Lancaster, Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Irons, Oliver Reed and Charles Bronson.
Bombastic, outspoken and self-deprecating, he was sufficiently moved by the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher in 1984 to set-up the Police Memorial Trust which has since erected over thirty memorials to those officers felled in the line of duty. Kept garaged at his London home, Woodland House in Holland Park which contained over 700 paintings and 89 telephones, the Bentley was often seen parked outside the Capital’s best restaurants and hotels. Bequeathed by Mr Winner to his chauffeur Steve Gallimore in 2013, the T Series entered the current ownership via Hurst Park Automobiles Ltd two years later.
Introduced in 1965, the Bentley T Series remained in production until 1976 by which time some 1,712 had been made. However, few of those featured the ‘flared wheelarches’ which were added during 1974 to accommodate a wider track and the use of superior radial tyres.
Originally finished in Silver Chalice with Dark Blue leather upholstery, chassis SBH21042 was supplied new by J.D. Barclay Ltd of Oxford to Peter Vaughan Esq, managing director of the international Chinese Art and Antiquities dealer John Sparks Ltd which held Royal Warrants from Queen Mary of Teck, King Gustaf VI of Sweden and Queen Mary, The Queen Mother. Thereafter, the Bentley passed to the High Sherriff of Oxfordshire, John Collins MBE. A decorated war hero, famous racehorse owner and chairman of both Morgan Grenfell Holdings and the Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance Group, Mr Collins continued to have the T Series maintained by J.D. Barclay Ltd of Oxford. Purchased from the latter by Roger Dennis Rich Esq of Davies & Co at 35,410 miles on 19th October 1979 (accompanying paperwork includes a leaflet providing additional information on radial tyres with the typed addendum ‘Mr Rich. This really is important!!’), chassis SBH21042 was able to boast full main dealer service history when the renowned film director, producer and restaurant critic Michael Winner acquired it some six years later.
Last serviced in Mr Winner’s care at 110,718 miles, chassis SBH21042 had always been well maintained with no fewer than three service books on file. Determined to make the Bentley as smart as the other cars in his impressive collection, the vendor despatched it to XK Engineering for a cosmetic makeover. Entrusted by several major manufacturers to paint their show cars, the Coventry-based firm re-sprayed the T Series in its initial Silver Chalice livery, re-waxoyled the underside, rejuvenated the brightwork and repolished the wood veneers at a cost of £21,126. Subsequently serviced by Bentley Leicester at 112,424 miles on 6th December 2016, chassis SBH21042 returned there for further maintenance during December 2017 and again the following year to have its rocker cover gaskets changed (the works totalling £4,637.29).
Having covered less than 100 miles since its last Bentley Leicester service, ‘NYF 555P’ started readily upon inspection. Pleasingly retaining its original Dark Blue leather upholstery, this decidedly rare ‘flared wheelarch’ T Series is in unusually good condition and has led a truly fascinating life. Offered for sale with original handbook pack, three service books, DVLA ownership trace and history file.