A Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost that brought Wallis Simpson to her romantic liaisons with the future King Edward VIII has sold.
It auctioned above its £120,000 top estimate for £161,280 ($255,440) at H&H Classics on June 20.
 The Ghost comes with blinds - perfect for covert meetings |
With the blinds pulled down, the Ghost "shooting brake" carried Simpson to and from her dates with Edward at Balmoral Castle in the mid-1930s.
The love affair had to remain a secret at that time. Wallis Simpson was still married to her second husband.
Simpson and Edward VIII wed in 1937, but only after the king abdicated - enabling him to marry a divorcee.
Sales director at H&H, Damian Jones, commented: "A shooting brake was really a utility vehicle, designed to go down unmade roads and very rough tracks to get people to the best possible vantage points for the shoot.
"It is not something you would usually associate with a member of the royal family using covertly. It's like a member of the modern royal family sneaking around in a delivery van.
"There are black silk pull down blinds in the back and there were rumours these were to smuggle Wallis Simpson in and out of Balmoral…
"The car was used for trips to remote parts of the Scottish countryside where he [King Edward] would have effectively been in the middle of nowhere and privacy wouldn't usually be an issue. So the curtains add to the intrigue."
The sale testifies to the enduring appeal of Wallis Simpson with collectors. Click here to see this superb item we're selling.
The Burghley House auction also featured the £154,560 ($244,700) sale of a 1964 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III 'Flying Spur' Sports Saloon - one of just 54 built.
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