Monthly Archives: January 2015

The Stockbroker’s Widow – Rolls Royce Wraith #WXA78 Hooper Drophead Coupé

A month before the public announcement of the new Rolls Royce Wraith model in early October 1938 Scottish agents John Croall & Sons placed an order for today’s featured chassis #WXA78 which was to be fitted with the 6 cylinder motor #D5WU.

Factory records indicate that John Croall & Sons sold the car to a Mrs Tod of Edinburgh, Scotland the widow of a stockbroker who had died in 1935.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Mrs Tod asked that her Wraith be fitted with a Hopper drophead coupé body which was given the Hopper design drawing number 9050 which specifies among other details; accommodation for golf clubs, a sixteen by 8 inch hat box, birds eye maple trim, ivory door and window handles, primrose over black painted wings and side panels and an optional kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.

Mrs Tod kept the Wraith, the first of what turned out to be just three drophead Coupés built and one of only two with Dickey seats, until 1948 when she sold the car to London Rolls Royce dealer Jack Barclay.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Barclay’s had the car painted Mason’s black and sold it the following year to a gentleman in Wilmsow, Manchester.

Jack Compton, founder of the Rolls Royce and Bentley Drivers Club, and West Norwood, London based dealer brought the car back to ‘the smoke’, London, in June 1949 and kept it there until 1966.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Mrs Tod’s Wraith was then treated for foot and mouth disease prior to being sent to the United States and the first of an unbroken chain of five owners to the present day with the Calumet Collection in San Diego becoming the present owners in 2010.

The car was used to take the owners daughters to school in Greenwich Connecticut in the late 1960’s, before restorations began in 1986 which were not fully completed until the 1990’s.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photo’s taken at the 2013 Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Stockbroker’s Widow” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a chain driven World Land Speed Record breaker. Don’t forget to come back now !

3 Carb or Hy-Kers ? – Ferrari 275 GTB #06931

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Today’s featured 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB chassis #06931 has had a quiet life.

Ferrari 275 GTB, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

It was sold originally to an owner in the UK known only by the name of Garrett.

Ferrari 275 GTB, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

In 1982 this car passed into the ownership of Heinz Hueve in Germany who kept it until October 2013.

Ferrari 275 GTB, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

#06931 was then acquired by restoration experts DK Engineering on behalf of it’s now third owner.

Ferrari 275 GTB, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

It is sobering to think that should a 50 year old standard 3 carburetor short nose 275 GTB such as this one come up for auction it would probably cost not much more or less than a brand new Hy-Kers LaFerrari.

Thanks for joining me on this “3 Carb or Hy-Kers ?” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again when I’ll be looking at a rare Drophead Coupé. Don’t forget to come back now !

Cracked Exhaust – Broadley T76 Continuation

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A month before the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours Roger Penske took delivery of a brand new Lola T70 Mk3b GT chassis #SL76/139.

Under driver Mark Donohue’s guidance the team worked 18 hours a day in the run up to the race preparing the car and it’s fuel injected 5 litre / 302 cui Traco Chevrolet motor of the endurance classic.