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 Dan Vaughan

1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Chassis Number 68ZG Open Tourer by Meynell Phillips

Open Tourer by Hooper
Chassis number: 68ZG

The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost chassis was built during the years 1907 to 1925 with a total number of 6,703 having been produced. It takes its name from an epithet used for the first production model which was fitted with an open-tourer body painted silver and from the silence of its engine when running.

It is thought that fewer than 1,000 remain today.

The engine has 6 cylinders and a cubic-capacity of 7.5 liters (453 cid). It will cruise at 65-70 miles per hour and covers 10-12 miles per gallon of regular fuel.

The Silver Ghost model won many reliability trials during its production including the 1913 Alpine trials. It was equipped with armoured and ambulance coach work for service during the First World War. Lawrence of Arabia spoke highly of the reliability of his Silver Ghost and it was from these events that the car gained the reputation of being 'simply the best car in the world.'

The car has the red RR insignia, changed to black following the death of Sir Henry Royce in 1934. The Hon. Charles Rolls died in a ballooning accident in 1910.

68ZG is now fitted with an Open Tourer body to a design by the famous Hooper Coach Building Company. It was originally fitted with Hooper Landaulette body when delivered to C. N. Nairn esq of Broughty Ferry, Scotland in 1923. It was fitted with its current coachwork in 1965 by M. Phillips of England.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer by Barker
Chassis number: 84TG

Rolls-Royce built the Silver Ghost chassis with a 6-cylinder, 7.5-liter 40/50 hp engine between 1907 and 1925. The famously silent engine, offering the ultimate driving experience, was a masterpiece of fine engineering; it had a hand-polished crankshaft lubricated by a pressurized oiling system with seven main bearings in a strong aluminum alloy crankcase as well as many other improvements, including phosphor-bronze and nickel steel timing gears.

This Ghost is fitted with a dual cowl touring body by Barker specified for a more comfortable driving position, and a hinged Auster windscreen was fitted to protect the rear passengers. The Ghost was restored in 2008.

Tourer by Grosvenor
Chassis number: 85TG
Engine number: P223

Between 1907 and 1925, Rolls-Royce built 6,173 examples of the Silver Ghost.

This particular example wears a coachbuilt touring body by the Grosvenor Carriage Company of Kilburn. It was originally owned by Maxwell Norman who later sold it to his family physician, Dr. Chario, where it was used on the Isle of Capri for almost two years before it was brought to Long Island, New York. It was in storage for about 15 years until it was purchased by Harold Priest of Glensondale, Massachusetts. The next caretaker was F.R. Schreiter, of South Lancaster, Massachusetts. William Gregor purchased it in 1947, who drove it home to Flint, Michigan, before performing a complete chassis, mechanical, and cosmetic freshening. The odometer reading at that time was about 30,000 miles.

It was used for the next few years in car club events before it was put into storage until 1960 when it was purchased by Jack Skaff of Flint. The odometer showed about 50,000 miles when it was acquired by its next owner, Calvin T. Zahn of Ann Arbor. The car has remained in the Zahn family for 57 years. It was in storage since 1999.

This Rolls-Royce wears a four-place body finished in silver, with fabric black hood, period black leather interior, and rear-mounted trunk. The original mahogany fascia displays original instruments, including a Waltham speedometer/odometer now showing just 58,399 miles, a Rolls-Royce Waltham clock, Ampmeter, fuel gauge and oil gauge, and several post-war club dash plaques. There is a period-correct Klaxon horn, hand and wheel tool kit under the right side running board, vintage luggage trunk, Grosvenor coachbuilder sill plate, side-mount rear-view mirrors, original British registration plates, and the original Rolls-Royce chassis and patent plates on the firewall.

by Dan Vaughan

Pall Mall Tourer by Merrimac
Chassis number: 336KG
Engine number: 21-61

Chassis number 336KG was supplied on March 18th of 1925 to H.L. Luttrell of Washington, D.C. All of the car's later owners were in the Washington metropolitan area, including B.C. Norton who used it for 'national service' duties. Other owners included W.L. Cook of Bethesda, Maryland and Jerome Howell of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Since 1978 it has been in the James F. Scott Collection. It has been in his private collection, out of sight, since the early 1990s, and up until recently its current location was not known to the Rolls-Royce Foundation.

The black leather interior appears original. It has a walnut dashboard with the original Waltham gauges, including a speedometer showing 54,101 miles. All of the trim is original as well, including the drum headlamps, horizontal radiator shutters, and small tubular bumpers. It has a period Kamlee black leather trunk with three fitted suitcases.

by Dan Vaughan

Springfield Piccadilly Roadster by Brewster

The Rolls-Royce model first introduced in 1906 was not initially referred to as a Silver Ghost. It was called the 40/50 - 40 taxable horsepower and 50 actual horsepower. The first 40/50 to bear the name Silver Ghost was actually the twelfth chassis to be built. It featured an aluminum body by Barker with silver-plated exterior fittings and a silver-plated brass plate bearing the name 'Silver Ghost.'

This particular Silver Ghost was built in Rolls-Royce's Springfield, Massachusetts facility. It was originally owned by the duPont family. It has been in current owner's possession since 1993. It was restored in the 1980s.

Mayfair Tourer by Springfield
Chassis number: 124TG
Engine number: 20227

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 Dan Vaughan

Tourer by Mulliner
Chassis number: 40PG

New to London in late-1922, Chassis No. 40PG was in a severe accident in 1925 and rebuilt by Rolls-Royce. In 1927 it was acquired by and shipped to a tea-growing estate in Ceylon where it remained until late in WWII when it was acquired by Sir Ralph Hugo Anstruther and used as his staff car until the early 1950s. 40PG saw action in the Malaysian Peninsula campaign at the end of WWII. It was then at Wellington Barracks, London when the owner and his unit provided security for the late-King George VI. Since then, the car has been owned by various collectors. Unrestored, though repainted three times and re-upholstered twice, the Silver Ghost has traveled '500,000 miles with regular maintenance. With its current owners, 40PG has been toured more than 40,000 miles in North America, Norway, the United Kingdom, Australia, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and The Netherlands.

In 1906 a new model, the 40/50 horsepower, was developed with a longer chassis and a six-cylinder engine. The popularity of the new Rolls-Royce grew quickly as it developed a reputation for smoothness, silence, flexibility and, above all, reliability. In 1907 a writer from the 'Autocar' described riding in the Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp as '....the feeling of being wafted through the countryside.' Engineers at Rolls-Royce coined the word 'waftability' to encapsulate that sensation. Today it is a word that cannot be found in any direction but it is a key design and engineering criterion.

The twelfth 40/50 produced had all its fittings silver-plated and the coachwork painted in aluminum paint. This car became known as the Silver Ghost and is probably the most famous car in the world. The name was later adopted for all the 40/50 hp car and had an immediate international impact, enhanced by the coachbuilders of the day, who could produce bodies of breathtaking beauty. The Silver Ghost was, quite simply, in a class of its own.

The motor car's versatility is legendary. It overwhelmingly won every reliability trial and distance record, dominated the great Alpine Trial of 1913 and won the Spanish Grand Prix of that year.

In May 1907, Claude Johnson drove the car to Scotland and back. This run was a precursor to the Scottish Reliability Trial for which the motor car was later awarded a gold model by the RAC.

The original idea was to drive 10,000 miles without stopping the engine, but the Silver Ghost proved so reliable that the target was raised to 15,000 miles. Despite a stall at 629 miles, when rough roads shook the petrol switch to the off position, the Silver Ghost ran faultlessly for 40 days and nights.

A further challenge was designed by Napier for Rolls-Royce to compete against them in a run from London to Edinburgh followed by high-speed runs at Brooklands. But the challenge was to complete the distance without changing gear, as opposed to how far you could travel. The car, driven by Ernest Hives, averaged 24.3 mpg between London and Edinburgh and attained a speed of 78.2 mph at Brooklands.

As an armored car in the First World War The Silver Ghost delivered exemplary service to the extent that Colonel T.E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) is quoted as saying, 'A Rolls in the desert is above rubies'.

In more elegant guise the Silver Ghost was the choice of the rich and famous across the globe. Kings, queens, maharajas, tsars and emperors owned them. The demand for the Silver Ghost was so high that manufacture was started in the United States in 1921 and continued in production with worldwide success until 1925.

by Rolls-Rocye Motor Cars Limited

by Rolls-Royce

The Rolls-Royce vehicles have always been the pinnacle of design, technology, and ambiance. The loudest noise that could be heard by occupants of their vehicles was said to be the clock. In 1904 engineer Frederick Henry Royce joined with the entrepreneur and businessman, the Honorable Charles Stewart Rolls. This union became known as the Rolls-Royce Company.

The Silver Ghost became available in 1906 and brought with it quality and technology to a level that had never been seen before on a motor vehicle. Most engines of the time had long and flexible crankshafts that were prone to vibration and noise. The Rolls-Royce engines had large bearings and pressurized oiling systems, secured by seven main bearings. This was then enclosed in a strong aluminum alloy crankcase eliminating much noise and creating a pleasurable driving experience for the occupants of the vehicle. The crankshaft had an accuracy of .00025 on its bearing surface. They were hand polished to remove any surface cracks left by the grinder. Instead of using noisy chains to drive the ignition, Royce used gears. Phosphor bronze and nickel steel were used in the construction of the timing gears which were then ground and polished by hand. The engine was further shortened by casting in triplets. Cooling problems and leaks were eliminated by the removable cylinder blocks and fixed heads. A Royce designed twin jet carburetor gave the engine all the breathing it required.

The Rolls Royce vehicles could accelerate from zero to top speed without shifting. Shifting during the early 1900's was a chore, with the lower gears never being smooth. It was not until top gear was achieved that the automobiles would operate properly. The Rolls-Royce Ghosts would accelerate as though they were being pulled. This feature, coupled with the vehicle's silent operation amplified the vehicle's prestige and was the ultimate driving experience of its day.

When first introduced, the Ghosts were given a four-speed gearbox with a direct drive third and an overdrive fourth. As time passed, the overdrive was dropped. The chassis was mostly conventional. Royce had fine-tuned the chassis to standards much higher than most marque's of the day. The body was held in place by a live rear axle carried in three-quarter elliptical springs. In the front, there was a solid axle supported by semi-elliptic leaf springs. Braking was by a foot pedal connected to a transmission brake. A hand brake operated twin rear drums.

Where Royce excelled in engineering, Rolls excelled in promoting and marketing. In 1906 a Ghost was entered in the Tourist Trophy Race, one of the most prestigious races of the time. The Ghost emerged victorious - well, much more than that. It had beaten the next nearest competitor by 27 minutes. Next, Rolls and Royce entered a Ghost in a 15,000-mile reliability run in 1907 which it did without incident. Upon its return to the Rolls-Royce shop, it took a small amount of money, about two-pounds or roughly ten-dollars by today's exchange rates, to restore the vehicle back to new condition.

The Silver Ghosts were entered in the Austrian Alpine Trials where the hoods were sealed shut to prevent any maintenance. The Silver Ghosts again dominated the competition and traversed the Alpine passes which were impassable for many motor cars.

This marketing worked and soon the Rolls-Royce vehicles became legendary and renowned for their durability, reliability, and style. To improve upon the prestige even further, Rolls supplied the Silver Ghosts to British royalty, a move that made sure the vehicles were seen in the right places by the right people.

The first Rolls-Royce distributor in the United States was Walter Martin of New York City, who was also a Cadillac distributor. As Cadillac continued to improve the ambiance of their vehicles, Martin naturally gave them more attention as the logistics of company location was in their favor. Rolls-Royce, on the other hand, was an ocean apart.

Over the early years of Rolls-Royce production, Brewster would become more effective in bringing Rolls-Royce chassis to America than Martin. Brewster imported several dozen chassis to supply its coachwork clients.

In 1913, the business manager for Rolls-Royce, Claude Johnson, formed a factory depot in New York and rented space from Brewster. Baker's US agent, Robert W. Schuette was appointed as Rolls-Royce distributor. At the time, Schuette also represented Fleetwood, Holbrook, Brewster, and Quinby. Around 100 Rolls-Royce's were imported over the next two years by Schuette, with around half of them bodied by Brewster.

As the First World War began to escalate, the production of Rolls-Royce automobiles slowed considerably. The factory's attention was turned to cars for military clients. Engines were produced for aircraft. By 1916, there were no more new Rolls-Royces available. Schuette and Brewster were still able to satisfy US demand for Rolls-Royce's by buying up existing chassis, renovating, and then fitting them with new coachwork.

by Dan Vaughan