1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

In its first few years of production, the Silver Ghost was the best touring car in the world. The very first example, #60551 bodied by Barker Roi de Belges, is the most valuble car in the world. Built in 1906 before regular prodution began, it finished some very public durability tests which set the standard for all Rolls-Royces that followed.

In Detail

submitted by	Richard Owen
engine	Inline-6
displacement	7036 cc / 429.4 in³
bore	114.3 mm / 4.5 in
stroke	114.3 mm / 4.5 in
driven wheels	RWD
f brake size	mm / in
r brake size	mm / in
wheelbase	3429 mm / 135 in
transmission	4-Speed Gearbox
gear ratios	:1

Auction Sales History

1915 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Limousine by Hamshaw 2BD – sold for $506,000 “The Hamshaw”; delivered to the U.S. for Alicia du Pont. Formerly of the Atwater Kent, Cohn, and Solove collections. Recent extensive mechanical freshening by Steve Litton. Completed the month-long 2014 Silver Ghost Association tour of Tasmania and Australia. An important, respected, and pure Edwardian Silver Ghost.
Auction Source: RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2015

1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Roi des Belges 2232E – sold for $605,000 Currentely rebodied into its present touring style, a Roi des Belges or “Tulip Phaeton,” which was a popular Barker style in the early 1900s that was created by Wilkinson, a well-known modern British coachbuilder.
Auction Source: 2015 Amelia Island by RM Sotheby’s

1921 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Cabriolet 61NE – sold for €149,500 On 15th September 1959 the Silver Ghost was purchased by the vendor’s grandfather, imported into Switzerland and restored, in the course of which the rear part of the cabriolet body was reconstructed (the body forward of the doors and all the mudguards are original). The body was painted and lined by hand, and the rebuild completed in April 1962. In 1992 the engine was overhauled, since when only some 4,000-5,000 kilometres have been covered, while the convertible top was renewed in 1998.
Auction Source: 2015 Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

1921 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Windovers 32SGCabriolet – sold for €120,750 In 1979 the Rolls-Royce was restored again and reunited with its original Windovers cabriolet body by Paul Bachmann Frederica, passing in 1990 to Jorgen Hansen and thence to the current vendor in 2014.
Auction Source: 2015 Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

1913 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp silver Ghost Wilkinson Roi-Des-Belges Tourer 2617 – sold for $693,000 The Hordern Ghost – Previously owned by Richard C. Paine Jr. and John Mozart. Well-documented example of the epic Silver Ghost. Sporting Roi-de-Belges Tourer style coachwork *Matching numbers drivetrain. Great Silver Ghost for tours and driving events. Offered with extensive history file.
Auction Source: 2014 Quail Lodge Auction by Bonhams

1915 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Holmes Tourer 23ED – sold for $660,000 The car shown here, a genuine London-Edinburgh chassis, was ordered by the British Admiralty on February 21, 1915, and it was delivered on April 28. Silver Ghosts were frequently used by His Majesty’s forces during World War I as staff cars, supply vehicles and, when appropriately clad, armored cars. Chassis 23ED was eventually shipped to the United States through importer R.W. Schuette. It was discovered by prominent Ohio collector and Rolls-Royce enthusiast Joe Loecy in the 1970s, and it remained in the same family for over 30 years.

Auction Source: 2013 Monterey Auction by RM Auctions

1915 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Holmes London-Edinburgh Tourer 23ED – sold for $660,000 A restoration was planned over the years, and appropriate replacements for missing parts were found or remanufactured to exacting original specifications. In particular, the London-Edinburgh Tourer body, in the correct original design and style created by Holmes, of Derby, was supplied by the British coachbuilders Crailville Ltd., of Southall, Middlesex. Established in 1975, Crailville Ltd. specializes in the construction of period-correct bodies for classic cars, as well as the design and fabricating of custom coachwork for modern automobiles.

Auction Source: 2013 Monterey Auction by RM Auctions

1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Wilkinson Roadster – sold for $1,017,500 The previous owner purchased the car in 1989, while in its chassis form but without coachwork. He then arranged to purchase the roadster coachwork that the car carries today from noted Silver Ghost collector, the late Millard Newman. It is believed that Wilkinson built the body in the 1960s.
Auction Source: 2013 Monterey Auction by RM Auctions

1921 Rolls-Royce 45/50hp Silver Ghost Robinson Drophead Coupé 9AG – sold for €156,000 An extensive restoration was undertaken during Mr Wills’ 18-year ownership, which included a complete strip-down to the bare chassis prior to rebuilding the car. According to notes on file from Mr Wills, the engine was completely stripped and rebuilt by marque specialist Jonathan Harley while the gearbox was overhauled by Brunts of Silverdale. In addition, the brakes were relined and the brake actuating rods re-metalled and re-bushed by Coventry Boring. New two-seater sports coachwork was constructed by noted Rolls-Royce and Bentley coachbuilder, Tony Robinson, and the car was re-trimmed by MM Trimming using blue Connolly hide and a new mohair hood.

Auction Source: 2012 Goodwood Revival Sale by Bonhams

1915 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost Limousine 2BD – sold for $561,000 One of approximately five Rolls-Royces bodied by H.A. Hamshaw Ltd. Ex-duPont family, A. Atwater Kent Jr., and Richard Solove. Original chassis, engine, and coachwork. Offered from the Estate of John O’Quinn.
Auction Source: Monterey 2012 by RM Auctions

1913 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost “London to Edinburgh” Open Tourer 2517 -sold for €357,280
o day the Silver Ghost is finished in a period-appropriate green with black fenders and undercarriage, and the interior is trimmed in complementary tan leather with varnished wood trim. Nickel brightwork adorns the exterior as well as five plated wire wheels, which enhance the car’s sporting appearance. While the undercarriage is nice and shows little evidence of use, 2517 is an older restoration that has developed a lovely patina. Considered by collectors to be one the most sought-after of all Silver Ghost models, this magnificent Edwardian tourer will make a most spectacular addition to any collection of early automobiles.

Auction Source: 2011 London Auction by RM

1907 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Limousine 547 – sold for €324,800 The oldest known Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp Silver Ghost. Built for Arthur H. Briggs, founding director of Rolls-Royce. Originally by Rippon Brothers, the oldest coachbuilder in England. Restoration covered in September/October 1992 issue of The Flying Lady. Winner of Charles A. Chayne Memorial Trophy at Pebble Beach.

When Rolls-Royce expert Martin Johnson found the car in 1986 in Derbyshire, it comprised a frame, rear axle, wheels, transmission and various other parts and required restoration to be returned to its former glory. Johnson sold it to Silver Ghost aficionado Jonathan Harley, who sent it on to American collector James Leake in Muskogee, Oklahoma before it went to noted Rolls-Royce enthusiast and collector Millard Newman, who persuaded Jonathan Harley to continue his investigation into 60547’s past. Ultimately, its origins were confirmed, and Newman had the stroke of luck to track down the engine from the immediately preceding car, number 546, in New Zealand and also turned up a period-correct Rippon Brothers limousine body in upstate New York.

Auction Source: 2011 London Auction by RM

1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Ceremonial Victoria 1683 – sold for €559,000 Over the course of the last Century, #1683 has been cherished and prized throughout its life. Among numerous pictorial references, it is featured in the Lawrence Dalton book ‘Those Elegant Rolls Royce’ and was immortalised in the Melbourne Brindle/Phil May book Twenty Silver Ghosts where it is illustrated with the Taj Mahal as its backdrop. Its mileage is thought to have been extremely modest in its Indian service, perhaps less than 10,000 and the succession of noted Silver Ghost collectors who have owned it have ensured that its condition has remained appropriately fine. There is no greater statement of this than the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Class win that it achieved at the 1995 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, following a refurbishment at the hands of noted specialist David Hemmings, although its condition has aged just a little since. Its engine, number 91K is actually the unit originally fitted to one of the Maharajah of Mysore’s other Silver Ghosts and must have been exchanged at some point during its service.

Auction Source: 2011 Goodwood Revival Sale by Bonhams

1908 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Roi-des-Belges Recreation – sold for €647,000 Mr. Wilson elected to restore the car faithfully to 1908 Silver Ghost configuration, no easy task since this year’s derivative of ‘Ghost had a number of features abandoned on later cars. The engine was mounted in an accurate replica 1908 frame with three-quarter elliptic springs, and a ‘dropped’ front axle was forged, a period gearbox was configured to the four speed specification with overdrive on the top gear, a feature dispensed with in 1909. Complementing and completing the restoration was the Labourdette coachwork which they were able to source. Believed originally fitted to a Mercedes of this same era, the bodywork like the running gear was a style fashionable for a brief time, of the style favored by the Belgian Royalty with individual front seats, and naturally named as ‘Roi-des-Belges’ coachwork. Within a few years individual seats and shapely curved bodywork would give way to less elegant flat paneled, simpler coachwork. Period accessories and detail features would top off this exhausting process. As can be seen today, the restoration was a phenomenal achievement, the car being both extremely elegant and exacting in its detail.

Auction Source: 2011 Goodwood Revival Sale by Bonhams

1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Wilkinson & Sons Balloon Car 1513 – sold for $484,000
Charles Rolls’ original balloon car was lost many years ago. A number of replicas have been built over the years – some accurate, some not. This one, however, is one of two built under the aegis of the late Rolls-Royce aficionado Millard Newman. One was apparently for the famed Harrah Collection, while Newman kept this one for himself. Eventually he sold it to Friendly Ice Cream co-founder S. Prestley Blake, one of the early collectors of prestige antique and classic cars. Blake kept it until 1991, when he sold it to fellow Rolls-Royce enthusiast Richard Solove, from whose estate it is offered today.

Auction Source: 2011 Monterey Auction by RM

1913 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Harley Tourer – did not sell for $700,000 Around 1970, 2517 was discovered languish- ing on an unprotected porch, having been im- pounded in Calcutta some seven years before. Though the timbers of the coachwork had given in to time and the elements, the Ghost was found to be basically sound. Following its purchase, the car was brought back to England. Upon its arrival in the UK, 2517 was purchased in its unrestored state by respected Rolls-Royce enthusiast Charles Howard and was then entrusted to the workshop of master Silver Ghost restorer Jonathan Harley for a full concours-level restoration. As the time outdoors in India had taken its toll, new coachwork was constructed using the spectacular sporting original as a basis for measurement at the same time as the chassis was being restored. Over a period of four years, the car was brought back to its former splendor, the beautifully curved panels of the Torpedo body were finished in an appropriate period green, accented by black fenders. The gleaming Edwardian nickel-plated hardware turns the sporting Tourer into an elegant and regal machine and, overall, the car is nothing short of spectacular.
Auction Source: 2011 Pebble Beach Auctions by Gooding & Company

1915 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost Limousine 2BD – did not sell for €440,000 Offered from the Estate of John M. O’Quinn. One of about five Rolls-Royces bodied by H.A. Hamshaw, Ltd. Ex-du Pont family, A. Atwater Kent, Jr.; later part of Richard Solove collection. Original configuration – chassis, running gear and coachwork.
Auction Source: RM 2011 Villa d’Este Auction

1922 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost – sold for €125,027
A wonderful recreation of the London to Edinburgh tourer. Owned by a succession of distinguished caretakers. One of just six P-Series, RG 40/50 HP chassis in existence.

The 1922 40/50 HP London-to-Edinburgh Replica was built by I. Wilkinson & Son of Derby in 1975 for the Antique Automobiles Company. It was once incorrectly ascribed the chassis number 2513 and was the subject of a High Court action reported in The Times on 22 July, 1991, in which it was stated, “Jonathan Harley, the leading authority on vintage Rolls-Royces, who reported the 1922 origin and uncovered the original chassis number.” This was identified as 35 RG. A further report appeared on 6 November, 1991, as well as an article in the Evening Standard on 11 November, 1991.

Auction Source: 2010 Automobiles of London by RM Auctions

1913 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Open Tourer 2517 – did not sell for $800,00
Rolls-Royce Foundation records indicate that chassis no. 2517 was first delivered on December 18th, 1913 to the Maharaja of Patiala. The car is finished in a period-appropriate green with black fenders and undercarriage. The interior is upholstered in complementary tan leather with varnished wood trim. Nickel brightwork adorns the exterior as well as five plated wire wheels, which add to the car’s sporting appearance. While the undercarriage is nice and shows little evidence of use, 2517 is an older restoration that has developed a lovely patina. Considered by collectors to be one the most sought-after of all Silver Ghost models, this magnificent example of an Edwardian tourer would be a spectacular addition to any collection of early automobiles and the envy of any Rolls-Royce collector.

Auction Source: RM Auctions’ 2010 Sports & Classics of Monterey

1920 Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp Silver Ghost Coupé de Ville by Mulbacher 24AE – sold for €130,000
Delivered to France in chassis form, 24AE was consigned to Mulbacher et Fils of Puteaux, Hauts de Seine for a coupé de ville body, the only one of its type to emanate from those workshops. The original carriage shops were established in the rue de Varenne in Paris in 1780 by the Mühlbacher family from western Germany. Their first automobile body was a huge mail coach on a steam carriage of Amédée Bollée in 1885 for the Marquis de Broc. Mulbacher continued to serve the carriage trade in the automobile era up until the Great War. Thereafter, their clientele tended more toward celebrities and sports heroes. Chassis were typically Panhard, Voisin, Farman, Isotta-Frachini and the like. Few and far between were Mulbacher commissions on Rolls-Royce.

When completed by Mulbacher, the car was delivered to Jean Patrick Hennessy, a French politician and scion of the cognac family. Hennessy, who was left a considerable fortune by his father, was elected a deputy of the Department of Charente in western France. A member of the Cartel des gauches, he was considered a progressive and founded the Parti Social-National in 1933. The car is later reported to have been in the care of the Baron de Rothschild, but this is not documented.

It is currently in very nice condition, with a lovely patina evident. The black velvet fabric interior of the rear compartment appears original, as does the wood, which has been entirely restored. The body fittings, including the rear doors, are in good condition. The engine has been restored and runs very smoothly, and while the compartment is clean, it has not been detailed. It has been fitted with front-wheel brakes for better operation on the road, an upgrade not uncommon after Rolls-Royce adopted four-wheel braking.

Entirely usable in its current condition, including good paint that has been partly redone, this car could benefit from very little selective upgrading in order to attain high-point status. A rare example of a French-bodied Rolls-Royce from a little-known coachbuilder, it is, in a word, nonpareil.

Auction Source: 2010 RM Auctions Sporting Classics of Monaco

1923 Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp Silver Ghost Pall Mall Tourer by Holbrook Torpedo Tourer 79JH – sold for €115,000 Rolls-Royce historian John Webb de Campi details that 79JH was bodied in the Pall Mall style by Holbrook of Hudson, New York. The first owner is listed as R.M. Butt of New London, Connecticut on 26th December 1923. In fact, the car was used only by his wife, Minnie Havemeyer Butt, because Robert McCoskry Butt, a Brigadier General in the New York National Guard, had died in 1921. Their New London home, “Rockacres” in the fashionable Pequot Colony, was a summer residence.

Like many early Rolls-Royces, this one has seen modernisation over the years. The original horizontal radiator shutters have been replaced by the post-1926 vertical type, along with the later tubular bumpers, and the wheels are of a slightly later style. The dark blue body exhibits a deep shine, as do the black wings. The brightwork is all in good condition, and the interior is nicely upholstered in tan leather. In 2004, Mr. Zach had a rear-mounted walnut trunk built, which complements the walnut fold-down hardware compartment behind the front seats. A nice example of the early Springfield Silver Ghost, it typifies the tastes of the well-to-do in the 1920s.

Auction Source: 2010 RM Auctions Sporting Classics of Monaco

1915 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost London-Edinburgh Tourer 23ED – sold for $368,500
hassis 23ED was ordered by the British Admiralty on February 21, 1915 and delivered on April 28. Silver Ghosts were frequently used by His Majesty’s forces during World War I as staff cars, supply vehicles and, when appropriately clad, as armored cars – and consequently few retain their original coachwork today. 23ED was eventually shipped to the United States and was discovered by Joe Loecy, a prominent Ohio collector and Rolls-Royce enthusiast in the 1970s. It has remained in the same family ever since.

A restoration was planned over the years, and appropriate replacements for missing parts were found or fabricated. The London-Edinburgh tourer body was supplied by British coachbuilders Crailville, Ltd. of Southall, Middlesex and shipped to America for installation.

Founded in June 1975 as Crailville Motors, Crailville, Ltd. specializes in construction of correct period bodies for classic cars and the design and fabrication of modern custom coachwork for contemporary automobiles. Complete restorations of cars are also undertaken. The first of very few restorers accepted into the Guild of Master Craftsmen, Crailville, Ltd. has produced bodies and restorations that have won awards from Rolls-Royce clubs, as well as both the Louis Vuitton and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The full restoration of 23ED began in earnest three years ago. The car was subjected to a complete mechanical rebuild, including engine, transmission, axles and chassis. A new stainless steel exhaust system has been fitted, as well as an electronic overdrive for effortless touring. Many components from the original chassis and driveline were lost or used for other projects over the years, but correct replacements, even if by number not originally delivered with the car, were located, numbered and dated correctly for the car, restored and installed. The end result is that the finished product is as close to the appearance of the original as possible – with flawless detailing and stunning beauty.

The body, in the close-coupled London-Edinburgh style, has the delightful flying wings of its famous progenitor. It is finished in archetypal silver, nicely contrasted with the leather interior. A handsome canvas top is fitted for motoring on inclement days.

Appropriate accessories include an Elliott speedometer, mirrors and electric side- and headlamps. Everything is exquisitely detailed, and the car is road-tested and ready to show or tour. Fresh from a top to bottom rebuild, it is a virtually new Silver Ghost London-Edinburgh tourer.

Auction Source: 2010 RM Automobiles of Amelia Island Auction

1915 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost London-Edinburgh Tourer – did not sell for $500,000
Chassis 23ED was ordered by the British Admiralty on February 21, 1915, and delivered on April 28. Silver Ghosts were frequently used by His Majesty’s forces during World War I as staff cars, supply vehicles and, when appropriately clad, as armored cars – and consequently few retain their original coachwork today. 23ED was eventually shipped to the United States and was discovered by a prominent Ohio collector and Rolls-Royce enthusiast in the 1970s. It has remained in the same family ever since.

Over the years a restoration was planned, and appropriate replacements for missing parts were found or fabricated. The London-Edinburgh tourer body was supplied by British coachbuilders Crailville, Ltd., of Southall, Middlesex, and shipped to America for installation.

Founded in June 1975 as Crailville Motors, Crailville, Ltd. specializes in construction of correct period bodies for classic cars and the design and fabrication of modern custom coachwork for contemporary automobiles. Complete restorations of cars are also undertaken. The first of very few restorers accepted into the Guild of Master Craftsmen, Crailville, Ltd., has produced bodies and restorations that have won awards from Rolls-Royce clubs, and both the Louis Vuitton and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Auction Source: 2009 RM Auctions Sports & Classics of Monterey

1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Torpedo – sold for €310,970
Finished in a very elegant and stylish shade of green with black fenders and dark green leather interior and carpeting, the car’s condition remains excellent and nicely settled, a testament to the workmanship of its 35-year-old restoration. The lines of this Ghost are quite beautiful and equally pleasing with the hood raised as well as down. On a recent drive around the French countryside we were very impressed with this wonderful car’s sporty and refined performance.

2AU has an almost unbelievable provenance. It is a car that was designed by one of the greatest motor car manufacturers of all time, treasured by another, and owned by the famed Count Frederic Chandon as well as two tremendously successful racing drivers. These were all men of impeccable taste, who recognised a fabulously impressive motor car, and a most important car in automotive history.

Auction Source: 2008 RM Automobiles of London