Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | August 2013 A3NEWS Ad A Rolls-Royce used as a mobile den- tal surgery during World War I sold for more than $1.1 million at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on July 12. The winning bid fell within the pre- auction of estimate of $925,000 to $1.23 million. The winning bidder was described by the auction company as being a car en- thusiast with no connection to dentistry. The 1913 Rolls-Royce 45/50hp “Silver Ghost” London-to-Edinburgh Tourer was originally bought by a wealthy English- man in September 1913, before passing to its second owner, Auguste Charles Valadier, in October 1915. Valadier, a French American living in Paris, would become instrumental in pioneering the development of maxil- lofacial reconstructive surgery to treat service personnel injured during World War I. With the outbreak of hostilities in 1914, Valadier was eager to help the war effort in some way. He volunteered his services to the British Red Cross Society in Paris, which accepted him for duty in October of that year. Valadier established the first unit dedi- cated to the treatment of facial injuries, with the unit's work contributing to the later progress of plastic surgery for use in facial reconstruction. By the end of 1916 Valadier was sta- tioned at Boulogne and the Rolls-Royce — then bodied in limousine style — had been modified to incorporate a dentist’s chair in the rear. A colleague who worked alongside Valadier at the time said, “In Boulogne there was a great fat man with sandy hair and a florid face, who had equipped his Rolls-Royce with a dental chair, drills and the necessary heavy metals. The name of this man was Charles Valadier.” Valadier would serve throughout the war, earning the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1919 and being knighted in 1921, having been granted British citizen- ship the previous year. After Valadier’s ownership, the Rolls- Royce was returned to limousine coach- work and later served as a breakdown ve- hicle, complete with jib crane at the rear. The late Denis Flather, a wealthy in- dustrialist based in Sheffield, England, bought the car in 1965. He rallied it ex- tensively in England and other countries for more than 25 years. Flather's son placed the car with Bonhams for auction. The London-to-Edinburgh model draws its name from Ernest W. Hives’ leg- endary journey between the two cities in September 1911. Hives completed the 400-mile trip using only the top gear, av- eraging a remarkable-for-the-time 24.32 miles per gallon. After Hives’ feat, the Rolls-Royce fac- tory was flooded with requests for rep- lica models; and the genuine Silver Ghost London-to-Edinburgh models remain to- day among the most coveted of all of the model variants. The automobile was sold with an ex- tensive history file that included a copy of Valadier's military record. (Source: Bonhams) The 1913 ‘Silver Ghost’ London-to-Edinburgh Tourer was once the property of a pioneering French-American dentist who volunteered for the Red Cross during World War I. Photo/Provided by Bonhams 1913 Rolls-Royce used as frontline dental surgery in WWI sells at auction $1.1 million-plus bid wins vehicle at July 12 Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale