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.
V5 Registration Document; Previously Registered Overseas; Safety Belt Pretensioners
About Us:
The Real Car Company was established in 1987 by Ray Arnold & Ian Johnstone. It was a hobby that 'Got out of hand'. Our interest in cars of the type that we now sell goes back to our childhoods, and ownership back to the 1970's. Gradually more cars started passing through our hands, and by 1986 we had decided to make a full time occupation of buying and selling the cars that we love.

We started with a single car (all we could afford) which we sold quickly, and before we knew it we had 4 or 5 on our hands! This was alongside another business that we were involved in at the time. In the Spring of 1988 we gave up the other business, (exhaust systems), rented part of the premises that we still operate from now, and went full time.

We had a good start in the boom years of the late eighties, which set us up well enough for us to ride the storm of recession in the years that followed. As the years went on the number of cars going through our hands increased gradually, we built up a workforce, and now in 2009 we carry a stock of around 40 to 50 vehicles and there are ten of us here. In 1999 we were awarded 'International Classic Car Dealer of the Year' by Classic Cars Magazine. The market for 'our' kind of cars is nicely stable, generally prices are creeping upwards all the time, and we feel that investing in a car - or cars - of the type that we sell is generally a great place to put your money. Don't do it just for investment, but you can get a great deal of pleasure from these vehicles, prices are - in our opinion - unlikely to drop, and you can't drive a share certificate! Some prices in the last three or four years have moved up considerably, and these cases have shown a tremendous return on investment.

Over the last fifteen years or so we have brought home several hundred cars from the USA, and we are always looking for more. If you know of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley anywhere in the world, in absolutely any condition, please let us know. Distance no object, commissions happily paid. We always particularly enjoy the 'barn finds'.

Opening Hours:
Mo: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Tu: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
We: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Th: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Fr: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Sa: Closed
Su: Closed
Why buy from us?
* Classic Cars
* Over 30 years in business
* Cars are physically at our premises
* Lovely roads to test drive on
* Our reputation