Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

Last updated

Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at Centenary.jpg
AX201, Roi-des-Belges tourer by Barker
Overview
Manufacturer Rolls-Royce Ltd (UK)
Rolls-Royce of America (US)
Also called40/50
Production1906–1926
7874 made [1]
AssemblyUnited Kingdom: Derby, England
United States: Springfield, Massachusetts [2]
Body and chassis
Class Luxury car
Related Rolls-Royce armoured car
Powertrain
Engine straight 6
7036cc (429.4cid) (1906–1910)
7428cc (453.3cid) (from 1910)
Transmission 3-speed manual (1909–1913)
4-speed manual (from 1913)
Dimensions
Wheelbase 135.5 in (3,442 mm) (1906—1913)
143.5 in (3,645 mm) (1913—1923)
144 in (3,658 mm) and
150.5 in (3,823 mm) (from 1923)
Chronology
Predecessor Rolls-Royce 30 hp
Successor Phantom I
AX201 at Cat and Fiddle Hill during the Scottish Reliability Trial 1907 RollsRoyceSilverGhostAx201.jpg
AX201 at Cat and Fiddle Hill during the Scottish Reliability Trial 1907
1920 Silver Ghost with limousine coachwork 1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.JPG
1920 Silver Ghost with limousine coachwork
40/50 hp Silver Ghost
7,428cc side-valve six-cylinder engine. RR40 50SG.jpg
40/50 hp Silver Ghost
7,428cc side-valve six-cylinder engine.

The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost name refers both to a car model and one specific car from that series. Originally named the "40/50 h.p." the chassis was first made at Royce's Manchester works, with production moving to Derby in July 1908, and also, between 1921 and 1926, in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Chassis no. 60551, registered AX 201, was the car that was originally given the name "Silver Ghost". Other 40/50 hp cars were also given names, but the Silver Ghost title was taken up by the press, and soon all 40/50s were called by the name, a fact not officially recognised by Rolls-Royce until 1925, when the Phantom range was launched.

Contents

The Silver Ghost was the origin of Rolls-Royce's claim of making the "best car in the world" – a phrase coined not by themselves, but by the prestigious publication Autocar in 1907.[ citation needed ] The chassis and engine were also used as the basis of a range of Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars. In December 1923, four friends of Woodrow Wilson chipped in to buy the former president a Silver Ghost, just weeks before Wilson's death in February 1924. The car was modified so that Wilson, who was disabled, could enter and exit the car more easily.

History

T.E. Lawrence in Blue Mist, 1918 T. E. Lawrence in Damascus October 1918.jpg
T.E. Lawrence in Blue Mist, 1918

In 1906, Rolls-Royce produced four chassis to be shown at the Olympia car show, two existing models, a four-cylinder 20 hp and a six-cylinder 30 hp, and two examples of a new car designated the 40/50 hp. The 40/50 hp was so new that the show cars were not fully finished, and examples were not provided to the press for testing until March 1907. [3]

The car at first had a new side-valve, six-cylinder, 7036 cc engine (7428 cc from 1910) with the cylinders cast in two units of three cylinders each as opposed to the triple two-cylinder units on the earlier six. A three-speed transmission was fitted at first with four-speed units used from 1913. The seven-bearing crankshaft had full pressure lubrication, and the centre main bearing was made especially large to remove vibration, essentially splitting the engine into two three-cylinder units. Two spark plugs were fitted to each cylinder with, from 1921, a choice of magneto or coil ignition. [4] The earliest cars had used a trembler coil to produce the spark with a magneto as an optional extra which soon became standard - the instruction was to start the engine on the trembler/battery and then switch to magneto. Continuous development allowed power output to be increased from 48 bhp (36 kW) at 1,250 rpm to 80 bhp (60 kW) at 2,250 rpm. Electric lighting became an option in 1914 and was standardised in 1919. [1] Electric starting was fitted from 1919 [4] along with electric lights to replace the older ones that used acetylene or oil.

Development of the Silver Ghost was suspended during World War I, although the chassis and engine were supplied for use in Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars. [5] A blue 1909 Silver Ghost known as Blue Mist, previously owned by an Irish lord, was used by Lawrence of Arabia as his personal staff car during the Arab Revolt. [6] [7] Construction of a replica Blue Mist began in 2018. [8]

The chassis had rigid front and rear axles and leaf springs all round. Early cars only had brakes on the rear wheels operated by a hand lever, with a pedal-operated transmission brake acting on the propellor shaft. The footbrake system moved to drums on the rear axle in 1913. Four-wheel servo-assisted brakes became optional in 1923. [4]

Despite these improvements the performance of the Silver Ghost's competitors had improved to the extent that its previous superiority had been eroded by the early 1920s. Sales declined from 742 in 1913 to 430 in 1922. The company decided to launch its replacement which was introduced in 1925 as the New Phantom. [9] After this, older 40/50 models were called Silver Ghosts to avoid confusion.

A total of 7874 Silver Ghost cars were produced from 1907 to 1926, including 1701 from the American Springfield factory. The documented chassis price listed for the 1921 American version was US$11,750 ($200,715 in 2023 dollars [10] ). [4] [2] Many of them still run today. A fine example is on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.

The Alpine Eagles

A 40/50 was privately entered in the prestigious 1912 Austrian Alpine Trial by James Radley, but its 3-speed gearbox proved inadequate for the ascent of the Katschberg Pass. A factory team of four cars were prepared for the 1913 event with four-speed gearboxes, and engine power increased from 60 bhp (45 kW) to 75 bhp (56 kW) by an increase in compression ratio and larger carburettor. The team gained six awards including the Archduke Leopold Cup. Replicas of the victorious cars were put into production and sold officially as Continental models, but they were called Alpine Eagles by chief test driver (and later Rolls-Royce Managing Director) Ernest Hives, and this is the name that they have kept.[ citation needed ]

The Silver Ghost

In 1907 Claude Johnson, commercial and managing director of Rolls-Royce, ordered a car to be used as a demonstrator by the company. With chassis no. 60551 and registered AX 201, it was the 12th 40/50 hp to be made, [3] and was painted in aluminum paint with silver-plated fittings. The car was named the "Silver Ghost" to emphasise its ghost-like quietness, [11] and a plaque bearing this name adorned the bulkhead. An open-top Roi-des-Belges body by coachbuilder Barker was fitted, and the car readied for the Scottish reliability trials of 1907 and, immediately afterwards, another 15,000-mile (24,000 km) test which included driving between London and Glasgow 27 times.

The aim was to raise public awareness of the new company and to show the reliability and quietness of their new car. This was a risky idea: cars of this time were notoriously unreliable, and roads of the day could be horrendous. Nevertheless, the car set off on trials, and with press aboard, broke various records. Even after 7,000 miles (11,000 km), the cost to service the car was a negligible £2 2s 7d (£2.13). [3] The reputation of the 40/50, and Rolls-Royce, was established.

The “AX 201” was sold in 1908, for £750, to Sir Daniel Hanbury who used it repeatedly to travel to his Italian residence, Villa della Pergola in Alassio, in the Italian Riviera, starting from his English residence Castle Malwood in Lyndhurst in Hampshire. [12]

This car was then recovered by the company in 1948. Since then, it has been used as a publicity car and travelled worldwide. In 1991, the car was restored.

In 2005 it was noted to be the world's most valuable car, its insured value was placed at US$35 million. [13]

After the 1998 sale of Rolls-Royce Motors Ltd the car passed into the ownership of Bentley Motors. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Princess is a version of the Austin A99 Westminster produced by BMC from 1959 to 1968, latterly under the Vanden Plas marque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn is a full-size luxury car that was produced by Rolls-Royce at their Crewe works between 1949 and 1955. It was the first Rolls-Royce car to be offered with a factory built body which it shared, along with its chassis, with the Bentley Mark VI until 1952 and then the Bentley R Type until production finished in 1955. The car was first introduced as an export only model. The left hand drive manual transmission models had a column gear change, while right hand drives had a floor change by the door. In the British home market the Silver Dawn only became available from October 1953, with the introduction of the model corresponding to the Bentley R Type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith</span> Motor vehicle

The Silver Wraith was the first post-war Rolls-Royce. It was made from 1946 to 1958 as only a chassis at the company's Crewe factory, its former Merlin engine plant, alongside the shorter Bentley Mark VI. The Bentley was also available as a chassis for coachbuilders, but for the first time could be bought with a Rolls-Royce built Standard Steel body. The use of the name "wraith" coincided with the established tradition of naming models after "ghosts".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Phantom I</span> Ultra-luxury flagship automobile in its first generation

The Rolls-Royce Phantom was Rolls-Royce's replacement for the original Silver Ghost. Introduced as the New Phantom in 1925, the Phantom had a larger engine than the Silver Ghost and used pushrod-operated overhead valves instead of the Silver Ghost's side valves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Phantom II</span> Ultra-luxury flagship automobile in its second generation

The Rolls-Royce Phantom II was the third and last of Rolls-Royce's 40/50 hp models, replacing the New Phantom in 1929. It used an improved version of the New Phantom engine in an all-new chassis. A "Continental" version, with a short wheelbase and stiffer springs, was offered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Wraith (1938)</span> Car model

The Rolls-Royce Wraith was built by Rolls-Royce at their Derby factory from 1938 to 1939 and supplied to independent coachbuilders as a rolling chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce 10 hp</span> Car model

The Rolls-Royce 10 hp was the first car to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, and badged as a Rolls-Royce. The 10 hp was produced by Royce's company, Royce Ltd., at its factory in Cooke Street, Hulme, Manchester, and was sold exclusively by Rolls' motor dealership, C.S.Rolls & Co., at a price of £395. The 10 hp was exhibited at the Paris Salon in December 1904, along with 15 hp and 20 hp cars and engine for the 30 hp models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Limited</span> 1906–1987 UK automobile and aerospace manufacturer

Rolls-Royce Limited was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his cranes, they quickly developed a reputation for superior engineering by manufacturing the "best car in the world". The business was incorporated as "Rolls-Royce Limited" in 1906, and a new factory in Derby was opened in 1908. The First World War brought the company into manufacturing aero-engines. Joint development of jet engines began in 1940, and they entered production in 1944. Rolls-Royce has since built an enduring reputation for the development and manufacturing of engines for military and commercial aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce 20/25</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce 20/25 was the second of Rolls-Royce Ltd's pre-war entry level models. Built between 1929 and 1936, it was tremendously popular, becoming the most successful selling inter-war Rolls-Royce. Its success enabled Rolls-Royce to survive the economic difficulties of the Great Depression years and remain one of world's great brands. A total of 3,827 20/25s were produced, of which over 70% are still on the road today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Twenty</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Twenty built between 1922 and 1929 was Rolls-Royce's "small car" for the 1920s and was produced alongside the 40/50 Silver Ghost and the successor to the 40/50, the Phantom. It was intended to appeal to owner-drivers but many were sold to customers with chauffeurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce 25/30</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce 25/30 built between 1936 and 1938 is an updated version of the 20/25 with larger engine to provide more power, as over-large bodies had often been fitted to the earlier model leading to complaints about its performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce 15 hp</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce 15 hp was one of four cars to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Badged as a Rolls-Royce, the 15 hp was produced by Royce's company, Royce Ltd., at its factory in Cooke Street, Hulme, Manchester. It was sold exclusively by Rolls' motor dealership, C.S.Rolls & Co., at a price of GBP500. The 15 hp was exhibited at the Paris Salon in December 1904, along with the 10 hp, 20 hp and engine for the 30 hp models, but as the new three-cylinder engine was not ready the chassis was incomplete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce 30 hp</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce 30 hp was one of four cars to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Badged as a Rolls-Royce, the 30 hp was produced during 1905 and 1906 by Royce's company, Royce Ltd. at its factory in Cooke Street, Hulme, Manchester. It was sold exclusively by Rolls' motor dealership, C.S.Rolls & Co., at a price of GBP 890. The engine was exhibited at the Paris Salon in December 1904, along with the 10 hp, 15 hp and 20 hp models.

The Rolls-Royce 20 hp was one of four car models to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Badged as a Rolls-Royce, the 20 hp was produced during 1905 and 1906 by Royce's company, Royce Ltd. at its factory in Cooke Street, Hulme, Manchester. It was sold exclusively by Rolls' motor dealership, C.S.Rolls & Co., at a price of GBP650. The 20 hp was exhibited at the Paris Salon in December 1904, along with the 10 hp, 15 hp and engine for the 30 hp models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Ghost</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a full-sized luxury car manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The "Ghost" nameplate, named in honour of the Silver Ghost, a car first produced in 1906, was announced in April 2009 at the Auto Shanghai show. The production model was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Ghost Extended Wheelbase was introduced in 2011. During development, the Ghost was known as the "RR04". It was designed as a smaller, "more measured, more realistic car" than the Phantom, aiming for a lower price category for Rolls-Royce models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vauxhall 30-98</span> Motor vehicle

The Vauxhall 30–98 is a car manufactured by Vauxhall at Luton, Bedfordshire from 1913 to 1927. In its day, its best-known configuration was the Vauxhall Velox standard 4-seater with open tourer body. Vauxhall's own description was the 30–98 hp Vauxhall-Velox sporting car. The 30–98 is also known to enthusiasts by Vauxhall's chassis code E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler Double-Six sleeve-valve V12</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Daimler Double-Six sleeve-valve V12 was a piston engine manufactured by The Daimler Company Limited of Coventry, England between 1926 and 1938. It was offered in four different sizes for their flagship cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin 40 hp</span>

The Austin 40 hp is a 4-cylinder motor car launched at the Olympia Motor Show in November 1907. Manufactured by Austin at Longbridge, Northfield, Birmingham, it was the first variant from Austin's initial plans for a two model range of a 15 hp —which they had dropped—and a 25 hp car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler DE</span> Motor vehicle platform

Daimler DE was a series of chassis made by the Daimler Company from 1946 until 1953. DE chassis were the basis for Daimler's largest and most expensive cars at the time. There were two versions: the short-wheelbase DE 27 with the Daimler Twenty-seven six cylinder engine, and the long-wheelbase DE 36, the last Daimler Straight-Eight, with the Thirty-six straight-eight engine. Daimler DEs, especially the DE 36 Straight-Eight, was sold to royalty and heads of state around the world, including British royalty under the royal warrant that Daimler had held since 1900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talbot armoured car</span> Armoured car

The Talbot armoured car was a British armoured car built on the chassis of a Clément-Talbot tourer. Built in small numbers to several patterns, the Talbot armoured cars saw service with the Royal Naval Air Service (R.N.A.S.) in the early years of the First World War, serving alongside Rolls-Royce and Delaunay-Belleville armoured cars.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Rolls-Royce Motor Car. Anthony Bird and Ian Hallows. Batsford Books. 2002 ISBN   0-7134-8749-6
  2. 1 2 Kimes, Beverly R. (1996). Clark, Henry A. (ed.). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1945. Kraus Publications. pp. 1307–1308. ISBN   0873414780.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Evans, Michael (2004). In the Beginning-the Manchester Origins of Rolls-Royce. Derby, UK: Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust. ISBN   1-872922-27-9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Baldwin, N. (1994). A-Z of Cars of the 1920s. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN   1-870979-53-2.
  5. Chariots of war
  6. Well Here We Are
  7. Cambridge News
  8. PR Web
  9. Pugh, Peter (2001). The Magic of a Name - The Rolls-Royce Story: The First 40 Years. Icon Books. ISBN   1-84046-151-9.
  10. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  11. "1922 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost". Heritage Museum and Gardens. Heritage Museums & Gardens. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  12. Burgess-Wise, David (October 2020). "The Original Silver Ghost". Automobil. 38 (8): 20.
  13. Schaffels, Brandy; Markus, Frank. "2005 Concours at Cranbrook". Motor Trend. Archived from the original on 18 February 2006.

Bibliography

  • Holmes, Mark (2007). Ultimate Convertibles: Roofless Beauty. London: Kandour. pp. 142–147. ISBN   978-1-905741-62-5.