1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

Before 1908, when Rolls-Royce located to a new factory in Derby, the company founded by engineer Frederick Henry Royce and entrepreneur the Honourable Charles Stewart Rolls produced a variety of models at its Manchester factory. The diverse lineup included two, three, four, and six-cylinder models, and even an abortive V8, before Managing Director Claude Johnson decided to concentrate on the range-topping 40/50hp. This strategic move to focus on the 'Silver Ghost' would lead to the company's reputation for excellence and its reputation for building 'The Best Car in the World' (first used by the Pall Mall Gazette in November of 1911).

The Rolls-Royce 40/50hp was introduced in 1906 at the London Motor Show and became known as the 'Silver Ghost' the following year when chassis number '60551' with silver-painted tourer coachwork by Barker & Company demonstrated its whisper-quiet operation. Production continued in England until 1925 with 6,173 examples built. An additional 1,701 examples were completed at the American Springfield factory. They were designed for longevity and reliability, and the engines were nearly indestructible due to their generous bearing dimensions, low compression, low rev capacities, and large overall design.

Henry Royce
Henry Royce's engineering experience began at the dawn of the automobile with his first motor vehicle, a De Dion Quadricycle. He later acquired a second-hand 10 horsepower, two-cylinder French Decauville that he used for transportation from his home to his electrical company, Royce Ltd. in Manchester. It was a crude automobile that was unreliable, had excessive vibration, poor construction, and a low standard of craftsmanship. This convinced Royce he could do better and became determined to build a motor vehicle of his own using the basic design of the Decauville. The total cost of the car worked out at £138 and on April 1st of 1904, he left the factor (of the Cooke Street works) for the first test run. His journey led him back to his house, fifteen trouble-free miles away, convincing him there was a future in automobile production.

Charles Stewart Rolls
Mr. Rolls was among the first racing drivers in the United Kingdom, who financed his hobby by operating a car sales and service depot at Lilli Hall, in Fulham, London. Initially, the showrooms were located in Brook Street, later moved to Conduit Street. In 1902, the C.S. Rolls and Co. were established and became the largest and best-equipped car dealership of its era. He was soon joined by Claude Johnson in this venture.

The lack of quality and durability of the British motor car frustrated Mr. Rolls, a dilemma that was soon resolved with the Royce automobile. After seeing the 10 horsepower Royce car, Mr. Rolls quickly arranged a meeting with Mr. Royce at the dining room of the Midland Hotel, Manchester, where the two men of dissimilar backgrounds took stock of each other and soon came to a business arrangement. Mr. Royce would handle production and Mr. Rolls would handle sales. The cars would be known as Rolls-Royce motorcars.

An advertisement in the Autocar magazine in December 1904 declared 'the first, simple, silent Rolls-Royce.' The Rolls-Royce motorcars were formally introduced to the international automobile community the same month at the Paris Salon where two, three, and four-cylinder cars were on display.

The Silver Ghost
The twelfth 40/50 produced had all its fittings silver-plated and the coachwork painted silver. It became known as the Silver Ghost and its name was later applied for all of the 40/50 horsepower cars.

The chassis was priced at £1,300 sans coachwork, with several examples receiving two bodies by their owner's to accommodate all weather and driving conditions. The chassis was comprised of channel-section side members and tubular cross members were suspended on semi-elliptic springs at the front and a 'platform' leaf spring arrangement at the rear, though the latter soon came in for revision. The four-speed gearbox with overdrive was replaced in 1909 with a three-speed gearbox with direct-drive top gear. During the two-decade production lifespan, many other improvements were adapted to the car with one of the most important being the adoption of servo-assisted four-wheel brakes towards the end of 1923. Electric lighting became an option in 1914 and was standardized in 1919, replacing acetylene or oil lamps. 1919 was also the year electric starting was fitted.

The 7,036cc side-valve six-cylinder engine was enlarged to 7,428cc around 1910. It had a seven-bearing crankshaft, pressure lubrication, and the cylinders cast in two units of three cylinders each as opposed to the triple two-cylinder units on the earlier six. The center's main bearing was especially large to reduce vibration, essential splitting the engine into two three-cylinder units. Each cylinder had two spark plugs, and from 1921 forward the buyers had the option of magneto or coil ignition. The early Silver Ghosts were equipped with a trembler coil to produce the spark with a magneto that was initially optional but later became standard. The engine was started using the trembler/batter and then switched to the magneto.

The six-cylinder engine initially produced 48 horsepower at 1,250 but this later increased to 80 bhp at 2,250 RPM.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2020