Rolls-Royce is hard at work on Project Cullinan, which will yield not only its first sport-ute, but also its first wagon. Or its first official wagon, we should say, because there have been some custom estates made out of Rollers in the past. And one is coming up for auction.
What you’re looking at is a 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud that was coachbuilt, as so many were in its day – but this one was converted into a wagon. That’s something that Goodwood has never offered from the factory, but soon will with its debut “high-sided vehicle,” to borrow the manufacturer’s own terminology.
The conversion was one of just four made in collaboration between H.J. Mulliner (which would later become the automaker’s own in-house coachbuilder) and London-based specialist Harold Radford – and one of just two on the shorter wheelbase. While the lower part of the bodywork was left mostly in tact, the upper half extended the roofline to offer more cargo space that was especially handy for hunting… hence the “shooting brake” moniker that would later be applied mostly to coupe wagons.
This particular example was delivered – via Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth ocean liner, no less – to a customer in Wichita, Kansas. It was outfitted with a fabric sunroof, customs seats (including a rather utilitarian fold-flat rear bench), and three-stage horn, in classic green with green-piped tan interior and matching carpets.
It’s being sold as part of the RM Sotheby’s auction next month at Amelia Island, complete with luggage set and fresh from a complete restoration process. Darin Schnabel photographed it for the auction house, which anticipates it will sell for a solid $425,000 (give or take $50k) – or about as much as Rolls charged for a Phantom when it was still being built. Expect a Cullinan crossover to cost about that much (with the right options specified) once it hits the market.
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