Replacing the 25/30 in 1938, the Rolls-Royce Wraith would become one of the prestigious marque’s rarest models due to the outbreak of war and production shifting to military manufacturing.

Powered by a 4,257 cc straight-six engine, the Wraith was supplied to coachbuilders with a four-speed synchromesh gearbox (save for first gear) and a 136-inch wheelbase chassis.

Just 491 chassis were supplied from 1938 to 1939, with 26 destined for Windovers Ltd of Hendon, London, half of which—including chassis WXA 90—were clothed in seven-seat limousine coachwork.

Ordered on 2 August 1938, Mr.

J.

H.

Balfour of Harlow, Essex requested that his Rolls-Royce be delivered as swiftly as possible.

A partner at Balfour & Co stock brokers, in 1934 John Balfour inherited his Scottish family’s estate, including Balfour Castle in the Orkney Islands following his father’s death.

Preferring city life, he chose to reside in Harlow, Essex and continued to run his father’s business, having placed the castle...