The story of the Hooper-bodied 1950 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith owned by Elliot M. Kaplan of Stillwell and James F. B. Daniels of Kansas City has a Cinderella quality to it.

 This elegant limousine went from a used-car dealer on Independence Avenue to winning Best of Show at the recent Rolls-Royce Owner’s Club national meet in Pebble Beach, Calif.

 This very significant vehicle was spotted by Daniels about six years ago. The aluminum body was dented and unkempt after years of neglect, but the odometer read only 12,000. Daniels and his law partner Kaplan, bought the car together. Little did they know it was a very special Rolls.

 Research showed that this car was originally built for Lord Kemsley, a publishing magnate who owned the London Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times and Financial Times. The body is a one-off design by Hooper and Co., coachbuilders to the Royal family. Rolls-Royce bought the car back from Lord Kemsley and used it to chauffeur dignitaries. The car still has the original Rolls-Royce factory license plates. No one knows for sure how it ended up in Kansas City.

 Kaplan and Daniels, in photo at left, sent the car to Ralph Curzon of Hyphen Repair in Toronto. Curzon, trained at the Rolls-Royce factory, began the laborious process of restoring this special car to its original glory. The hand-formed body is unique. Its frame is English Ash with bronze reinforcements.

 Curzon’s work is stunning. As beautiful as the body is, the undercarriage looks exactly as it did the day the car was new. All of the bolts are cadmium plated, for example, and their square heads are perfectly aligned.

The frame glistens and the running gear is spotless. The rear springs are sheathed in leather and automatically lubricated.

 The six-cylinder engine is as quiet as it is smooth, and it idles like a sewing machine.

 The Silver Wraith’s interior is warm and inviting. Matching walnut is used throughout the interior, which has wool seats and deep pile carpeting in back.

 Getting the car ready for the national show was like getting Cinderella ready for the ball. A month before the car was transported to Pebble Beach for the show, the left front fender developed a blemish. The fender was removed and sent to Canada for repair. Bill Durham of the First Team Carstar Collision body shop in Stillwell hurriedly repainted it.

 The night before the car was to leave, the clock ceased working. Sham Agayev of Tivol Jewels fabricated parts and cleaned the clock over night so the car could leave on schedule. The payoff for all this last-minute work was not only the Best in Show trophy but also the Hooper Award. Talk about a glass slipper fitting perfectly.