Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 1907 - 1927 - Model History

At the turn of the century, the British car buyer did not have much choice. The British car industry was in diapers and cars were mostly imported from France. So Henry Royce bought his car from hated neighbors and of course, the car did not start. Royce was very angry and encouraged to think about producing his own car. Just a few years later, the most legendary Rolls Royce, the Silver Ghost model, was created.

Only the best

From the very beginning, it was evident that Royce had decided to produce high-end cars. The most up-to-date technique, combined with the best and most luxurious materials, has been a trademark from the very beginning. Rolls Royce. Every, even the smallest part is made with perfect care and perfection. And all this because of Royce's philosophy: the quality must be top notch at all costs. And the price was astronomical from the very beginning - 1.400 British pounds for one car! For example, in neighboring France, eight luxury cars could be bought for that much money.

 

Even driving school and call-service

Rolls Royce Silver Ghost was introduced in 1907. It was powered by a 7-liter engine whose construction was bulky but of impeccable quality. The first model had a four-speed gearbox, but since the customer at the time did not like changing gears too much, it was soon replaced by a three-speed. The engine developed 48 hp at 1500 / min, which was enough for a top speed of approximately 90 km / h (speed depended on the equipment and body type). Shortly after the start of sales, Royce noticed that many of his customers did not even know the basics of driving a car. Rolls Royce responded by opening a driving school in 1910. In addition to this service, RR also offered a special service in which its mechanics regularly or on call visited car owners and performed the necessary mechanical interventions.

Silver Ghost from 1910 in a special version for hunting. The car was owned by the Duke of Windsor while he was in the position of Prince of Wales. The car is in the museum today. At the beginning of the century, woodworking superstructures were very popular.

Quality ahead of quantity

At the outset, Rolls Royce produced only four cars a week. More due to extensive quality controls and finishing of the smallest details was simply not possible. After the factory was moved to larger plants in 1909, the capacity was increased to nine cars a week. During the 18 years of production, a total of 6173 Silver Ghosts were produced, whose appearance was only minimally changed during that time. Production was definitely stopped in the middle of 1925, because the model, despite its popularity and quality, became obsolete. True, even the best are old, but they will never be forgotten.

Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Sedan de Ville from 1915. These versions were used for driving around the city. The open space for the driver was not intended for the driver to enjoy the convertible feel, but represented a class difference between him and the gentlemen driving in the back.

Rolls in both rally and war

It probably sounds strange to you, but Rolls Royce has tried its hand at this demanding competition and proved that with the elegance comes the top quality needed for a rally competition. The Rolls Royce Silver Ghost dominated the Austrian Alpine Rally in 1913 at a top speed of 128 km / h. Sports activities were interrupted by the First World War, which frightened many that RR would have to close its facilities. In the end, RR came out as the winner again - armored vehicles were made on the chassis of the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. And the longevity of these vehicles was best reflected in the fact that these cars were ready for use at the beginning of World War II.

The image at the bottom shows an endeavor during which the British Royal Automobile Club (RAC) tested the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost in 1907 by continuously driving 25.000 kilometers without shutting down the engine. For cars at the time, this was impossible, but not for Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

Production: 1907 - 1925
Engine: R6, 7036 cm3
Power (HP): 48 @ 1500 / min
Top speed (km / h): 90
Number of produced copies: 6173

Text: Luka Lukcic
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