1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Mayfair Tourer

This 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Sedan wears coachwork by Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Work. It was delivered on October 27th of 1922 to J. Burgess Book, of Detroit, Michigan. It was chauffeur-driven for nine years before it was put into storage in 1931, placed under a tarp on the Book Building's 13th floor, and remained tucked away there until 1945. It was then sold with 13,000 actual miles and wearing its original paint.

The car was soon acquired by John Mathews who subsequently drove it with his family to Seattle, Washington, and back again to Detroit. It did receive servicing after it was driven into a ditch while visiting Yellowstone.

In 1950 the car was sold to a woman in Mount Clemens, Michigan, and eventually in the 1960s to Roy Scharfenberg of Detroit who maintained the car for half a century. While in his care the car was repainted and partially reupholstered, leaving much of the rear passenger area original. It saw occasional touring use and participated in RROC regional events.

In the fall of 2002, Todd Nagler acquired the Rolls-Royce, now known as 'the Ghost of Detroit.' During his ownership, the car received significant mechanical work, including a full rebuild of the engine by Ed Linn at Classic & Exotic Service and remanufacturing correct 23-inch wheels.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2020