1921 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

The Rolls-Royce Company was founded by engineer Frederick Henry Royce and entrepreneur the Honourable Charles Stewart Rolls, and prior to 1908, manufactured a variety of models at its Manchester premises (In 1908 they relocated to a new factory in Derby). They produced cars with two, three, four, and six cylinders and even worked on a V8, before Managing Director Claude Johnson's decision to focus on the 40/50hp model that would become known as the 'Silver Ghost.' It had first appeared at the 1906 London Motor Show and the following year earned its nickname when chassis number '60551' was exhibited wearing silver-painted tourer coachwork by Barker & Co.

The Silver Ghost was powered by a 7,036cc (later growing to 7,428cc) side-valve six equipped with a seven-bearing crankshaft and pressure lubrication. The chassis was comprised of channel-section side members and tubular cross members that were suspended on semi-elliptic springs at the front and a 'platform' leaf spring arrangement at the rear. The rear suspension setup was soon revised, and the transmission was changed to a three-speed gearbox with direct-drive top gear replacing the original four-speed/overdrive top unit in 1909.

Numerous improvements would be made during its 20-year production lifespan with perhaps one the most important changes being the adoption of servo-assisted four-wheel brakes towards the end of 1923. From 1921, two spark plugs were fitted to each cylinder with a choice of coil ignition or magneto. The earlier cars were fitted with a trembler coil to produce the spark with a magneto as an optional extra which later became standard. Rolls-Royce instructed its customers to start the engine on the battery/trembler and then switch to magneto.

In 1914, electric lighting became optional and was standardized in 1919. Electric lights replaced the older ones that used oil or acetylene. Electric starting was fitted from 1919.

From 1921 through 1926, the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost series chassis were built by Rolls-Royce of North America, Inc. in the Springfield, Massachusetts factory. The production of Silver Ghosts was subsequently followed by the new Phantom series from 1926 until the facility closed its doors in 1931. From 1921 to 1926, a total of 1,703 Springfield Silver Ghosts were built.

From 1906 to 1926, Rolls-Royce built a total of 7,874 examples of the Silver Ghost.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019