1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost London to Edinburgh Tourer

In 1913, this Rolls-Royce 40/50HP Silver Ghost with chassis 2517 was ordered. It was fitted with a custom six-seater Torpedo body with coachwork handled by H.J. Mulliner. The original owner was the Maharaja of Patiala, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, who held forth over the state of Patiala from 1900 to 1938. It is rumored that he married ten times and had 200 concubines and eighty-eight children. His Rolls-Royce rivals those rumors, as it was fitted with many custom features and luxury items. It came equipped with a Cobra horn, running-board coverings, tool roll, and a pair of jump seats. The larger-than-life persona of the Maharaja can be seen throughout the vehicle.

The Maharaja was a favored client of Rolls-Royce and was given the opportunity to order the first Rolls-Royce Twenty. He accepted, but went a bit farther; he ordered a whole fleet of them. Years later, during the 1930s, Rolls-Royce did not accept any orders from Maharaja Bhupinder Singh. In retaliation, the Maharaja assigned his Rolls-Royce cars to the streets, to be used for trash pickup. Only after Rolls-Royce relented did the Maharaja recall his fleet of Rolls-Royce from civil duties.

In 1985 this Rolls-Royce chassis 2517 was acquired by Richard Solove in India. The car was not in running condition, though solid and in fair condition throughout. It wore London-to-Edinburgh Tourer coachwork which it still retains in modern times. It was brought to running and driving condition and driven across Patiala and Pakistan to Karachi. Upon arrival, it was sent to Britain and to Jonathan Harley's shop where a four-year restoration was performed.

It is painted in a deep green with open Ghost coachwork mounted on a Colonial Silver Ghost chassis. The interior is tan leather accented by an abundance of light varnished wood trim and nickel brightwork. There is a crystal decanter and four matching tumblers. There are five bright plated wire wheels with one being an off-side mounted spare. The bell headlights are nickel-plated, as is the Charles Sykes' Spirit of Ecstasy radiator-cap mascot.

There is a four-speed manual gearbox and its six-cylinder L-head engine produces 50 horsepower. In 2007 it was brought to the Gooding & Company auction held on Pebble Beach, Ca where it was offered without reserve and estimated to sell for $1.0 - $1.5 million. Bidding surpassed those estimates as this gorgeous automobile with its magnificent history was clearly seen as the centerpiece of any fine collection. When the gavel struck for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for $1,870,000 including buyer's premium.

In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $1,000,000 - $1,500,000. Bidding reached $800,000 but was not enough to satisfy's the car reserve. It would leave the auction unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2010