Now, I don't pretend to be any manner of expert on vintage cars. I know what I read and I read a fair amount. I go to car shows, do research and try to learn what I can. Unofrtunately I'm still useless under the hood. Most of the cars that have been featured here are mass-produced, usually middle-class models that can be researched on Wikipedia and HowStuffWorks.com.
And then there's this. As far as I can tell, it's a 1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, and it is an incredible car. These were the last "chassis-only" Rolls models, sold to customers without bodywork so they could commission a coachbuilder to fabricate a body to suit their own tastes. The coachwork on this car is likely supplied by Hooper, which according to JamesList (the craigslist of the super-rich, apparently) is one of the "more graceful and desirable bodies made" in the postwar era. The swoopy and dramatically curved bodywork with four (count 'em, FOUR!) suicide doors makes a statement of luxury and extravagance that sets it apart from other dowdy cars produced in the years immediately following World War II.
