June 28, 2013
A 1913 Rolls-Royce is estimated to sell for £600,000 at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on July 12, 2013.
The car is equipped with an interesting story from The Great War: it was used by a dental surgeon to treat facial injuries of wounded soldiers on the frontline.
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The 1913 Rolls-royce 45/50hp “Silver Ghost” London-to-Edinburgh Tourer was originally purchased by an Englishman for the modern equivalent of £100,000, only to be sold two years later to Auguste Charles Valadier, a wealthy French-American in Paris. Like many young men, Valadier wanted to lend his hand in the war efforts and volunteered for the British Red Cross Society the year before in 1914. By 1916, Valadier was using the Rolls-Royce as a mobile dentist’s office in Boulogne, installing a dentist’s chair in the back of the car.
Using the Rolls-Royce on the frontline, Valadier became a pioneer of maxillofacial reconstructive surgery during WWI.
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According to a press release, the car is offered with a complete history file, including the army record of Auguste Charles Valadier, who was granted British citizenship in 1920 and knighted in 1921, a result, perhaps, of his unique involvement in the war efforts.
Other cars to be auctioned include a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196, a 1955 Maserati 300S Sports-Racing Spider, a 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 “Le Mans” Tourer, and the 1965 Ferrari 330GT 2+2 Coupe bought by John Lennon on the day he passed his driving test.
For more information on the auction and the history of the Rolls-Royce, see the press release.
