DT News - UK - Rolls-Royce used as front-line dental surgery at auction

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 4 July 2013

save

LONDON – A Rolls-Royce that was used as a mobile dental surgery during the First World War is expected to sell for an estimated £600,000 at an auction next week. The 1913 Silver Ghost London-to-Edinburgh Tourer was once owned by a dentist who volunteered for the Red Cross during the war and equipped the car with various dental equipment to treat injured service personnel.

According to Bonhams, one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques, the Rolls-Royce was first bought by an Englishman for £1,016 (approximately £100,000/€117,195 in today’s money) in September 1913. It was later purchased by Auguste Charles Valadier in October 1915, a French-American dentist, who incorporated a dental chair, drills and the necessary equipment in the rear when serving in the British Red Cross Society.

Valadier, who was knighted and granted British citizenship after the war, was a pioneer in maxillofacial reconstructive surgery. He established the first unit dedicated to the treatment of facial injuries, which helped facilitate the later progress of plastic surgery for use in facial reconstruction.

After the end of the war, the coachwork of the Rolls-Royce was returned to limousine configuration and the car later served as a breakdown vehicle, complete with jib crane at the rear.

The car will be sold on 12 July as part of the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale with an extensive history file, including a copy of the army record of Auguste Charles Valadier.

To post a reply please login or register

“ORTHORA 200s are the Rolls Royces of orthodontic chairs”

“We wanted a modern practice with an industrial touch: concrete floors, wood, steel furniture, black and white,” Dr Boris Dominicus says as he welcomes ...

Millions lost to front-line health care abuse in Northern Ireland

BELFAST, UK: Health and dental care worth £44 million were lost to cross-country fraud last year, Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland has ...

Steven Bartlett announced as headline speaker at the British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show

BIRMINGHAM, UK: Steven Bartlett, entrepreneur, speaker, investor, best-selling author and the host of Europe’s No. 1 podcast The Diary of a CEO, will be ...

Dental symposium kicks off at London’s Wembley Stadium

LONDON, UK: The 2024 Osstem Europe Meeting has officially begun at the iconic Wembley Stadium, bringing together a global audience of leading dental ...

Planmeca introduces extensive line-up of new products at IDS 2019

With another spectacular edition of the International Dental Show (IDS) now over, the Finnish digital dental unit manufacturer Planmeca can look back at an ...

Blood pressure checks begin at Essex NHS dental clinics

CHELMSFORD, England: The public-facing nature of dentistry has led to clinicians becoming increasingly involved in caring for patients’ systemic health, ...

British dentist known as “World’s fittest old-age pensioner” dies at age 97

LONDON, UK: Most people of advanced age tend to prefer activities like gardening or watching TV. Not Dr Charles Eugster; just last year, the 97-year-old ...

Dental 3D-printing market expected to grow an average of 12% per year

The growth of dental diseases and increased demand for dental treatments is correlated with the rise of the dental 3D-printing market, according to a new ...

Mobile app for at-home dental screening exhibits both benefits and shortcomings

CARDIFF, Wales: As humanity continues to lean into artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies for all manner of basic life challenges, the realm ...

Hospital dental trainees in England to receive pay uplift after strike action

LONDON, England: After two years of sustained industrial action, hospital dental trainees in England have voted to accept a government offer to increase ...

Education

Live webinar
Wed. 17 September 2025
11:30 am UTC (London)