DEFINING GREATNESS

In some fields, quantifying greatness can be remarkably challenging. Is a movie great because it was a big-budget Hollywood box office smash? Or rather, because it was an unknown independent that won an Oscar? Is an author deemed to be great because his novel sold millions of copies? Or because one literary critic pronounced his genius?

Fortunately the world of professional sports is much more easily quantified, with its numerically precise achievements: games with scores, individual statistics, and championships. Few professional fields so clearly delineate who is great, and who is merely mediocre. Yet even among the ranks of pro sports, we become obsessed with the notion of who is the greatest of all time, as we compare one set of statistics to another, such as the measure of career points scored versus championships achieved. Has LeBron exceeded the greatness of Jordan? Could Mahomes ever eclipse Brady? Can Messi make us forget the brilliance of Ronaldo, or Pelé before him?

But if there is one professional sports league where the GOAT is essentially beyond debate, it must be the National Hockey League. At hockey’s highest level, in a league over 100 years old, one man’s achievements stand head and shoulders above the rest. Of course we refer to the Canadian wunderkind and eventual NHL legend appropriately known as ‘The Great One,’ the incomparable Wayne Gretzky.

Gretzky’s jaw-dropping statistics and overall achievements during a two-decade career in the NHL illuminate a dominance nearly unheard of in modern professional sports. At the time of his retirement in 1999, The Great One held 61 NHL records, including career goals (1,016 goals including playoff games) and assists (2,223 assists including playoff games). While his individual achievements included a record nine regular season MVP awards, and two playoff MVP nods, Gretzky was also the anchor of four Stanley Cup championship teams, forever sealing his legend as both individual competitor and ultimate team leader.

Although Gretzky displayed a prodigy level of talent and understanding of the game as a teenager, his entry to the NHL was preceded by signing with the World Hockey Association’s Indianapolis Racers and later traded to the Edmonton Oilers that same year. When the WHA merged into the NHL a year later, Gretzky finally found the proper forum to showcase his talents, capturing the league MVP award in his rookie season while simultaneously silencing critics who suggested he was too small and too slow to compete in the majors. The Oilers went on to win the Stanley Cup four times in five years under Wayne’s leadership during the 1980s, one of the most successful runs in league history.

Just three months after his victory in the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, effecting a tectonic shift in the hockey world that shocked fans and insiders alike. The Kings became instant contenders, and after five seasons of improvement, they made an appearance at the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

The telegenic Gretzky, nevertheless, brought a level of skill and glamour to the Kings that helped propel the team to unprecedented levels of popularity, and Gretzky is generally credited with popularizing hockey in the state of California. Love him or hate him, there’s no argument that Wayne Gretzky was entirely worthy of his nickname, as the greatest hockey player that ever laced up a pair of skates.

CHASING PERFECTION: THE PERFECT CAR FOR THE PERFECT PLAYER

Among his prodigious output, one of Wayne Gretzky’s career highlights transpired midway through the 1993-94 season, as the Kings fought to return to the playoffs a year after their Stanley Cup Finals disappointment. On 23 March 1994, in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Wayne scored his 802nd career regular season goal, breaking a tie with fellow NHL legend Gordie Howe for the most goals scored all-time. The Great One would go on to score 92 additional regular season goals before he retired five years later.

Exactly a week after Gretzky scored his tiebreaking goal, prior to a game against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the LA Kings made an official presentation to The Great One in commemoration of his achievement. A 1994 Rolls-Royce Corniche IV, one of the earliest 50000-numbered chassis produced, number X50019, was driven out onto the ice and formally presented to a surprised Gretzky, who responded with typical humility, “I really do feel a little embarrassed standing here getting this car this evening. It's overwhelming, but I’ll take it.” Notably the car wore tags reading, “Goal 802.”

For one of the smoothest and most intuitively flowing hockey players that ever played the game, there could hardly have been a more appropriate automotive gift than the luxurious Corniche IV. A statement in sporting elegance, the Corniche model debuted in 1971 to replace the two-door Mulliner Park Ward-bodied Silver Shadow model.

Introduced in 1992, the Corniche IV continued to feature the company’s venerable hand built 6.75-liter V-8 engine. The updated model improved upon its predecessors with features including adaptive suspension, anti-lock brakes, dual airbags, a four-speed automatic transmission, and a revised hood design and dashboard layout. Initially identified with chassis numbers starting in the 40000s, the Corniche IV received a new 50000-series numbering in early 1994, and the featured car is clearly a very early example of this iteration, as just the 19th car in numeric sequence. Just 219 examples of the Corniche IV were ultimately built in total, making it the rarest of any of the Corniche models.

According to a file of documentation that includes a manufacturer’s certificate of origin, factory spec sheets, dealer checklist, and Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club register, chassis number X50019 was built in November 1993, optioned with a tinted windscreen and chrome door mirrors. Finished in dual black paint with vermillion pinstripes, the Corniche IV was trimmed in black leather upholstery with burled walnut veneers, a grey headliner, and black Wilton carpets.

Distributed in December 1993 to official marque dealer Rolls-Royce of Beverly Hills, of the highly respected O’Gara Coach Company group, the Corniche IV was sold to the ownership of Wayne Gretzky on 29 March 1994, per a copy of the owner’s identification card signed by former LA Kings CFO Michael Handelman. The following day the car was presented to The Great One during the aforementioned pregame ceremony.

Although it is not currently known how long the Rolls-Royce remained in Wayne Gretzky’s possession, by early 2016 the Corniche was acquired by a collector based in Indian Wells, California, who exhibited the car at least once at a concours d’elegance in Palm Springs. In 2023, the car passed to a collector in Massachusetts.

Evidencing its modest driving use through a short chain of owners, the Corniche IV currently displays just 9,107 miles on the odometer. In the summer of 2024, the car was treated to a full mechanical evaluation and commensurate service attention by the O’Gara Coach Company of Beverly Hills, returning the car to its original selling dealer for optimal consistency and factory-approved technique. As clarified by an invoice on file, this work totaled to just over $17,000 of investment, and the car is now optimally prepared for either driving enjoyment or display, poised for powerful luxurious cruising or exhibition at special gatherings. That same year, the car received a thorough cosmetic detailing and rejuvenation by Jakub Marek of Costa Mesa, California, as depicted in a popular YouTube video.

As to be expected from Great Britain’s most legendary luxury automotive concern, this Corniche IV abounds in comforting cabin amenities, such as multi-way power-adjustable heated memory seats; power windows and retractable top; burled walnut veneer cabin trim; premium audio system with CD player and remote control; dashboard clock; and Motorola cellular phone.

Even though his career goals record may one day be broken, Wayne Gretzky will forever be known as the greatest of all time. This stunningly presented and well-documented Corniche IV, given to him by the LA Kings in commemoration of his career milestone 802nd goal, is a benchmark collectible of the Gretzky legend. Ideal for collectors focused on celebrity ownership provenance, or hockey enthusiasts, this Rolls-Royce is a museum-worthy piece that remains in stunningly presented and eminently drivable condition; it would make a superb complement to any automotive gathering.