This car is particularly desirable for a range of reasons, not least because it has spent the majority of its life so far in the dry climes of Australia, and is consequently nicely sound and free of the dreaded rust, which can be a serious issue in the case of a UK-based example. We tend to consider the structural condition of many of the early post-war models to be of much greater significance than any other single aspect of condition. In addition, the car is one of a small number of RHD, 'small boot' versions built, and is very appealing cosmetically, being nicely painted in an attractive two tone green colour scheme, and the interior is particularly appealing, with lovely brown leather, very well upholstered and with excellent, fresh-looking headlining and attractive veneers. Mechanically good too, driving nicely, and very unusually, fitted with air conditioning, a pleasant bonus! Just driven here from Barcelona! A lovely example.

Chassis No. SBA104 Reg. No. KXS 404

Snippets: Australian Philanthropist

The first owner of SBA104 was Ernest William Richards Connibere (1862/1957) who in 1889 started the soft-goods firm of Connibere, Grieve & Connibere. Their partner John Grieve died from gastric fever in 1899 at the young age of 41 leaving his widow Annie, with 4 children under the age of 14. Their son Robert (1889/1957) was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George V in 1917 at Buckingham Palace. The Connibere brothers consisted of Ernest, Charles (1864/1941) and Frederick (1868/1945). By 1920 the expansion of their company encouraged the brothers to sell their firm to Sargoods and they invested the proceeds in city property - they always managed to successfully maximise their investments. None of the brothers or indeed did their sister, Emma ever marry. The Connibere sibling were all philanthropists and their financial donations enabled the building of a maternity wing at the Women's Hospital, 3 orthopaedic wards at Mount Eliza Hospital, the support of various missions and much more besides. In 1941 after Charles's death Ernest & Frederick gave £138,000 to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for a wing to be built in memory of Charles. In 1945 Ernest gave yet more money to Melbourne Mission, Ormond College and St Andrew's Hospital and a kindergarten at Port Melbourne. They also gave substantial funds to The Prohibition League and to the Sunday Christian Observance Council. When Ernest was interviewed in 1954 he was youthful 92 years of age and when asked by the interviewer about his life Ernest declared that his one hobby was "service to my fellow man". During their lifetime the 4 siblings had given over £750,000 to good causes, and as was only fitting upon his death Ernest's estate which was circa £300,000 was given to charity. After the death of Ernest the Silver Dawn was purchased by Dr. Joseph Kremer of Elwood, Victoria who only kept the car for a year until it was sold to Aldwyn Thomas Swales whose company Swales & Swan manufactured amplifiers for the radio and film industry.

Air Conditioning; 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 we now carry a stock of around 40 to 50 vehicles and there are nine 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