Rolls-Royce Wraith

A smart, sound, unusual, appealing and spacious car, with a large sunroof, one of only four Wraiths bodied by Cockshoot. Originally intended for the 1939 Earls Court Show, which was cancelled due to the outbreak of war. It would seem that this is a very late example of this coachbuilder's work, and it has been suggested that this is the last body that they built, although this cannot at this stage be verified. The car runs & drives really well with excellent suspension, brakes, etc, but ideally needs some mechanical attention. The engine is strong and performs very well but the gearbox is rather noisy, mainly in third gear. Perfectly useable as it is, the radiator has just been re-cored, and the car is offered newly MoT tested, but priced to allow for the attention needed.


Chassis No. WEC52 Reg. No. GNC 440 £29,500.


Snippets: Fruit
Ernest Broadbelt took delivery of WEC52 at Inglewood Villa in Whalley Range – this large 11 roomed property can be dated back to 1897 when it was occupied by Thomas Porter, his wife & two servants! Ernest Broadbelt was originally from Halifax but he moved to Manchester where he became a respected importer of Fruit, Flowers & Vegetables located in Smithfield Market, Manchester. He imported his products from all over the world including Holland, Jamaica & Argentina. In June 1938 Ethel Broadbelt (Ernest’s wife) died – she was one of the first patients of The Private Patients Home of The Royal Infirmary in Manchester and her estate of £9,638 (Half a million in 2017) was left to Ernest. Within a year WEC52 had been sold to F. Mitchell & Son Ltd also of Manchester – this company were in the construction business and their clients included the Barton Shell Refinery, Morley Products (Padiham) Ltd & Millwall Docks. From the late 1970s until 1991 WEC52 was in Arizona, USA with the Sexton family of Payson & the Goods of Scottsdale.