1949 LHD Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn Saloon. LSBA44 (1949) For sale from The Real Car Co., in Gwynedd, United Kingdom

Chassis No. LSBA44        
A very early example from the first series of Silver Dawns, delivered new to Switzerland. The car is generally in good, appealing, sound condition, running well, finished in Champagne, with brown leather interior. Some cosmetic attention would be a good idea, but not urgent. In particular, we draw your attention to some localised paint issues, please see the pictures on the 'extra photos' page. Having said this however, the paint overall is very smart, of good quality, and a tasteful, appealing, warm colour. The chrome work is also excellent throughout. Being a left hand drive version, it has the column gear change mechanism - very much of its time, adding to appeal! We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the car after a period of storage, and it will be offered prepared, UK registered and newly MoT tested. As an alternative, we can offer a significant discount on the car 'as is'.

Chassis No. LSBA44                            Reg. No. SXS 809

Snippets: Finance and Films
The 1st owner of the Silver Dawn was the Swiss financier & race-course owner Victor Lyon (1878/1963).  During their lifetime Victor and his wife Helene amassed an extensive & eclectic art collection which they gifted to the Louvre in Paris.  The artworks included works by French, Italian, English & American artists such as - Corot, Boudin, Degas, Henner, Merwart (portrait of Helene aged 2), Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Stuart and Toulouse-Lautrec. After the death of Helene (1948) Victor funded the construction of the Fondation Victor Lyon in Paris to be used as accommodation for students and is still used today.  The Lyon family used to holiday in Fontainebleau & Marlotte and in Avon there a small parkland called Place Helene & Victor Lyon.  The second owner of LSBA44 was the American film director, writer, cinematographer Haskell Wexler.  He acquired LSBA44 whilst he was in Italy filming “Face In the Rain” starring Marina Berti who also had roles in Quo Vadis, Ben-Hur, Cleopatra and Amen.  Her co-stars were Rory Calhoun – River of No Return, How to Marry a Millionaire and Niall MacGinnis who had prior to WWII  qualified as a surgeon – his film career included The Edge of the World, 49th Parallel and on stage he had roles in Henry V and Hamlet.  Haskell Wexler was nominated for 5 Academy Awards and the winner of 2 Oscars – Bound for Glory & Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf.  During his career he managed to indulge himself with his hobby of cars – his stable included a Formula 1 racer with a Buick Straight 8 engine, an El Camino, a Lola and several Ferraris.