Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith WtA 62 Nubar Gulbenkian 1947
Nubar Gulbenkian (1900-72) was an Armenian-born playboy tycoon who lived at the Ritz Hotel in London. His money came from the family's oil business - it owned five percent of BP's stock - and he was a well-known figure in the city who always wore an orchid in his buttonhole and used a monocle.
Nubar Gulbenkian liked big, fast and expensive cars. He developed a fondness for Rolls-Royce in the post-war years, having already owned many fast pre-war sports cars before. Of course, his Rolls-Royces were as extravagant as he was. Many of his Rolls-Royce were designed by Gulbenkian himself! This ranged from the outer shape to the luxurious interior. He even owned two Austin FX4 taxis, which were built in true Brougham style, with gilded carriage lights and an open chauffeured compartment. They were equipped with Rolls-Royce engines.
The first baptized Pantechnicon was the 1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith. There was a traditional sliding Deville extension over the chauffeured compartment - a recurrent theme on Nubar's cars. All windows were electrically operated. There were no sweeping, but flush, door handles which were not visible from the outside to support the streamline shape. Rolls-Royce was not very happy with the car and the English coachbuilder Hooper had no desire to give his name in connection with the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, but both needed the work.
In the car magazine Autocar 17 October 1947, a vehicle variant with two-tone bronze color and beige-colored interior was described. However, silver gray and dark blue were the corporate identity colors of Nubar Gulbenkian. Photos of the original vintage wreck, which is currently being restored in the UK, show exactly this color scheme. Described is this Rolls-Royce in the book Lawrence Dalton's "The Elegance Continues" in 1969.
