Coachwork by Freestone & Webb

Chassis no. STH53

4,566-cc, 130-hp (est.) inline F-head six-cylinder engine, four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel power hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 120-inches.

The Silver Dawn was Rolls-Royce’s equivalent to the Mark VI Bentley, and was subtly updated, albeit without a name change, when Bentley introduced the R-Type in 1951. Most Silver Dawns had a Standard Steel body, but a few were treated to bespoke coachwork. This is just such a car. One of five bodied by Freestone & Webb, the London coachbuilder. It was spotted in a London showroom by actor Richard Ney, who bought it straight off the floor: love at first sight, which lasted his lifetime.

Best known for his role as the handsome young pilot, Vin Miniver, in the 1942 William Wyler film “Mrs. Miniver,” Richard Ney was a veteran of 13 films between 1942 and 1962, as well as 27 television series. In the 1960s, he became an investment advisor and authored three best-selling books on the subject. An avid gardener, he died in 2004 while watering his flowers.

A saloon in the classic British idiom, chassis STH53 is stunning in deep black with a beige relief panel on the side. Upholstered in beige leather, it has black carpets and a burled wood dashboard whose only flaw is slight cracking in the varnish. It has picnic trays for the rear seat, Lucas driving lights and a modern Kenwood stereo installed under the dashboard. Equipped with a sliding sunroof, B.F. Goodrich whitewall tires, it is believed to be one of two Freestone & Webb Silver Dawns known.