Rolls-Royce Wraith

SALE AGREED.
.Just back in the UK following 46 years with one owner in the USA, an extremely original, ‘proper’ and appealing example, with structurally excellent coachwork. The doors close with a very pleasing ‘click’, and the whole car is delightfully undisturbed. The engine runs, but needs some attention, although the cylinder head appears to be in good condition, which is very important on a Wraith, as good ones are very hard to find. Complete with tools in their clips under the bonnet and buff logbook from 1949, included in the history file, which, along with other information, gives us a complete ownership record from new. Now UK registered again, on its original number, BYR 246. A project, but a potentially very rewarding one, the starting point being a delightfully undisturbed car.

Chassis No. WLB6 Reg. No. BYR 246 £24,500

Snippets: Wallis Simpson’s Lawyer.
The 1st owner of WLB6 was Lady Bicket, the widow of Sir Alexander Bicket KBE, JP of Liverpool. At his funeral in Anfield a party of Naval Cadets sounded the Last Post in tribute to his work with HMS Conwy Training & also in acknowledgment of his association with the sea. The Bicket family’s involvement with the sea included Shipping - Kyle Transport Co & Bootle Cold Storage; Towing - The Athel Line & the Alexandra Towing Company with vessels in Swansea & Liverpool; by the 1980s Bicket’s had taken over Liverpool Screw Towing, Britannia Towing, J H Lamey & London Tugs prior to the firm being sold to Howard Smith Industries of Hull. Several of the Sir & Lady Bicket’s sons served in WWI with Morrison Bicket (footballer for Sunderland & Durham County) being wounded in action in 1915 and his brother Thomas being awarded the MC in 1916. By 1950 WLB6 was with J. Theodore Goddard – his most famous client was Mrs Wallis Simpson (she married Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII), – during the handling of her divorce J. T. Goddard had occasion to fly to Cannes (Dec 1936) to speak to Wallis, Goddard was accompanied by his personal doctor W. Kirkwood (who resided at a maternity hospital) and because of this it was speculated that Wallis was indeed pregnant and in need of medical attention! According to Prime Minister Baldwin J. T. Goddard was “a man of blameless reputation but extraordinary ingenuity.................... everybody who gets into a mess applies immediately to Goddard, who gets them out at once.” In 1963 the firm handled yet another delicate and scandalous situation as they were instructed by John Profumo to act on his behalf. It is not sure who acquired WLB6 after the death of J. T. Goddard in 1952 but by 1970 it had been acquired by Brad Zemcik an American student in the UK who took it back to the USA in 1971. In San Diego there is a Jim Zemcik (horticulturist) who specialised in geraniums & bred a series nick-named “The Geranium George Series” after George Marston, a San Diego merchant and philanthropist. Apparently Jim’s most popular Geranium is the “Linda Zee” – a bright pink flower which his wife persuaded him to rescue from the trash!