The Silver Ghost haunts again

The 1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, registration AX201, is a 40/50 HP model and the very car that gave birth to the now legendary “best car in the world” moniker, as well as the nickname “Silver Ghost” applied to Rolls-Royce 40/50 models officially. It was an exceptional car in period, painted silver with silver-plated fittings, and was showcased at the 1907 Scottish Reliability Trials, where it achieved overall victory and subsequently covered 14 371 miles without issue under RAC scrutiny, double the contemporary record. Following this event, the car was nicknamed the “Silver Ghost” due to its appearance and uncanny silence. Subsequently, all 40/50 HP chassis cars adopted this name.

After a lengthy private ownership, the car was returned to Rolls-Royce and underwent repairs between 1948 and 1951, and was subsequently used by Rolls-Royce for publicity. In 1989, the car was fully restored ahead of the 1990 Silver Ghost Charity Tour between John O’Groats and Land’s End. In 1998, the car came into the ownership of Bentley Motors, and finally in 2019, it was released to a private collector in England, and will be shown to the public for the first time in over 20 years at the 2021 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court. Also on display is a 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Twenty. A total of 2 885 units of the Twenty were produced, equipped with a 3.1-litre six-cylinder engine. This new offering by the company was immediately successful, with several cars being sold to Indian royalty. In 1927, Rolls-Royce England sent this particular car to Rolls-Royce in Bombay. In 1931, the car was sold to the Nawab of Sachin (in Gujarat), HH Haidar Muhammad Yakut Khan (1909 – 1970), who was a descendant of the Siddi dynasty, of Abyssinian origin.

Alongside will be a 1914 Rolls-Royce Alpine Eagle by Van den Plas Coachbuilders in Belgium. The car was built as a Torpedo Grand Luxe as per the November 1913 Earls Court Motor Show display cars. The coachwork was revolutionary for its time, featuring a full disappearing top, tool boxes fitted to both fenders, a one-piece steel bodywork with no seams, and clock boards fitted with instruments and switches. This car is the only surviving Silver Ghost with coachwork by Van den Plas still in its complete and original condition. Another of the stunning Rolls-Royces on display has outstanding military provenance, having previously been owned by Field Marshal Montgomery. The Phantom III was ordered new by Sir Alan Butler, chairman of the De Havilland Aircraft Company. It was specified with rear sloping windscreens due to it having been found to be aerodynamically effective on aircraft tested in the wind tunnel. On the outbreak of war, the car was given to the war effort and became Field Marshal Montgomery’s personal one. Many famous dignitaries also rode in the car, including Sir Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower. After the war, Montgomery kept the car for his own personal use. A total restoration of the car was completed by marque specialists P&A Wood. Source: Linden Bray : influenceassociates.com