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((Short description|Luxury car produced from 1906 to 1926))
((Redirect|Silver Ghost))
((About||the luxury sedan produced by [[Rolls-Royce Motor Cars]] and introduced in 2009|Rolls-Royce Ghost))
((Use dmy dates|date=August 2017))
((Use British English|date=February 2020))
((Infobox automobile
| name = Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost
| caption = AX201, [[Roi-des-Belges]] tourer by [[Barker (coachbuilder)|Barker]]
| image = Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at Centenary.jpg
| manufacturer = [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce Ltd]] (UK)<br />[[Rolls-Royce of America]] (US)
| assembly = United Kingdom: [[Derby]], England<br />United States: [[Springfield, Massachusetts]]<ref name=kimes1996/>
| aka = 40/50
| production = 1906–1926<br />7874 made<ref name=Bird&Hallows>The Rolls-Royce Motor Car. Anthony Bird and Ian Hallows. Batsford Books. 2002 ((ISBN|0-7134-8749-6))</ref>
| engine = [[Straight-6|straight 6]]<br />7036cc (429.4[[cubic inch displacement|cid]])&nbsp;(1906–1910)<br />7428cc (453.3cid)&nbsp;(from 1910)
| transmission = 3-speed manual (1909–1913)<br />4-speed manual (from 1913)
| wheelbase = ((convert|135.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on)) (1906—1913)<br />((convert|143.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on)) (1913—1923)<br />((convert|144|in|mm|0|abbr=on)) and <br />((convert|150.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on)) (from 1923)
| predecessor = [[Rolls-Royce 30 hp]]
| successor = [[Rolls-Royce Phantom I|Phantom I]]
| related = [[Rolls-Royce armoured car]]
| class = [[Luxury vehicle|Luxury car]]
))

[[File:RollsRoyceSilverGhostAx201.jpg|right|thumb|AX201 at Cat and Fiddle Hill during the Scottish Reliability Trial 1907]]
[[File:1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.JPG|right|thumb|1920 Silver Ghost with limousine coachwork]]
[[File:RR40 50SG.jpg|thumb|40/50&nbsp;hp Silver Ghost<br />7,428cc side-valve six-cylinder engine.]]

The '''Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost''' name refers both to a car model and one specific car from that series. Originally named the "[[Tax horsepower#Britain|40/50 h.p.]]" the [[chassis]] was first made at Royce's [[Manchester]] works, with production moving to [[Derby]] in July 1908, and also, between 1921 and 1926, in [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield, Massachusetts, USA]]. Chassis no. 60551, registered '''AX 201''', was the car that was originally given the name "Silver Ghost". Other 40/50&nbsp;hp cars were also given names, but the Silver Ghost title was taken up by the press, and soon all 40/50s were called by the name, a fact not officially recognised by Rolls-Royce until 1925, when the Phantom range was launched.

The Silver Ghost was the origin of Rolls-Royce's claim of making the "best car in the world" – a phrase coined not by themselves, but by the prestigious publication ''[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]]'' in 1907.((citation needed|date=May 2020)) The chassis and engine were also used as the basis of a range of [[Rolls-Royce Armoured Car]]s. In December 1923, four friends of [[Woodrow Wilson]] chipped in to buy the former president a Silver Ghost, just weeks before Wilson's death in February 1924. The car was modified so that Wilson, who was disabled, could enter and exit the car more easily.

==History==
[[File:T._E._Lawrence_in_Damascus_October_1918.jpg|thumb|[[T.E. Lawrence]] in Blue Mist, 1918]]
In 1906, Rolls-Royce produced four chassis to be shown at the Olympia car show, two existing models, a [[Straight-4|four-cylinder]] [[Rolls-Royce 20 hp (1905)|20&nbsp;hp]] and a [[Straight-6|six-cylinder]] [[Rolls-Royce 30 hp|30&nbsp;hp]], and two examples of a new car designated the 40/50&nbsp;hp. The 40/50&nbsp;hp was so new that the show cars were not fully finished, and examples were not provided to the press for testing until March 1907.<ref name=RRManchester>((cite book |last=Evans |first=Michael |title=In the Beginning-the Manchester Origins of Rolls-Royce|year=2004 |publisher=Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust|location=Derby, UK |isbn=1-872922-27-9))</ref>

The car at first had a new [[side-valve]], six-cylinder, 7036&nbsp;cc engine (7428&nbsp;cc from 1910) with the cylinders cast in two units of three cylinders each as opposed to the triple two-cylinder units on the earlier six. A three-speed transmission was fitted at first with four-speed units used from 1913. The seven-bearing [[crankshaft]] had full pressure lubrication, and the centre main bearing was made especially large to remove vibration, essentially splitting the engine into two three-cylinder units. Two spark plugs were fitted to each cylinder with, from 1921, a choice of [[ignition magneto|magneto]] or [[Induction coil|coil]] ignition.<ref name=AZ1920/> The earliest cars had used a [[trembler coil]] to produce the spark with a magneto as an optional extra which soon became standard - the instruction was to start the engine on the trembler/battery and then switch to magneto. Continuous development allowed power output to be increased from ((convert|48|bhp|abbr=on)) at 1,250&nbsp;rpm to ((convert|80|bhp|abbr=on)) at 2,250&nbsp;rpm. Electric lighting became an option in 1914 and was standardised in 1919.<ref name=Bird&Hallows/> Electric starting was fitted from 1919<ref name=AZ1920>((cite book |last=Baldwin |first=N. |title=A-Z of Cars of the 1920s|year=1994 |publisher=Bay View Books |location=Devon, UK |isbn=1-870979-53-2))</ref> along with electric lights to replace the older ones that used [[acetylene]] or oil.

Development of the Silver Ghost was suspended during [[World War I]], although the chassis and engine were supplied for use in [[Rolls-Royce Armoured Car]]s.<ref>[https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/a1827976/armored-rolls-royce-ghosts-ruled-deserts-arabia-chariots-war/ Chariots of war]</ref> A blue 1909 Silver Ghost known as Blue Mist, previously owned by an Irish lord, was used by [[Lawrence of Arabia]] as his personal staff car during the [[Arab Revolt]].<ref>[https://www.wellhereweare.com/home/2017/7/4/blue-mist-how-lawrence-of-arabia-stole-grannys-rolls-royce Well Here We Are]</ref><ref>[https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/how-discovered-truth-lawrence-arabias-13299489 Cambridge News]</ref> Construction of a replica Blue Mist began in 2018.<ref>[https://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/07/prweb14472745.htm PR Web]</ref>

The chassis had rigid front and rear axles and [[leaf spring]]s all round. Early cars only had brakes on the rear wheels operated by a hand lever, with a pedal-operated transmission brake acting on the [[propellor shaft]]. The footbrake system moved to drums on the rear axle in 1913. Four-wheel servo-assisted brakes became optional in 1923.<ref name=AZ1920/>

Despite these improvements the performance of the Silver Ghost's competitors had improved to the extent that its previous superiority had been eroded by the early 1920s. Sales declined from 742 in 1913 to 430 in 1922. The company decided to launch its replacement which was introduced in 1925 as the [[Rolls-Royce Phantom I|New Phantom]].<ref>((cite book | last = Pugh | first = Peter | title = The Magic of a Name - The Rolls-Royce Story: The First 40 Years | publisher = Icon Books | year = 2001 | isbn = 1-84046-151-9 ))</ref> After this, older 40/50 models were called Silver Ghosts to avoid confusion.

A total of 7874 Silver Ghost cars were produced from 1907 to 1926, including 1701 from the American Springfield factory. The documented chassis price listed for the 1921 American version was US$11,750 ($((formatnum:((Inflation|US|11750|1921)))) in ((Inflation-year|US)) dollars ((inflation-fn|US))).<ref name=AZ1920/><ref name=kimes1996>((cite book |last1=Kimes |first1=Beverly R. |editor1-first=Henry A. |editor1-last=Clark |pages=1307–1308 |title=The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1945 |year=1996 |publisher=Kraus Publications |isbn=0873414780))</ref> Many of them still run today. A fine example is on display at the [[National Motor Museum, Beaulieu]].

==The Alpine Eagles==
A 40/50 was privately entered in the prestigious 1912 [[Rallying#Pre-war era|Austrian Alpine Trial]] by [[James Radley]], but its 3-speed gearbox proved inadequate for the ascent of the Katschberg Pass. A factory team of four cars were prepared for the 1913 event with four-speed gearboxes, and engine power increased from ((convert|60|bhp||abbr=on)) to ((convert|75|bhp|abbr=on)) by an increase in compression ratio and larger carburettor. The team gained six awards including the Archduke Leopold Cup. Replicas of the victorious cars were put into production and sold officially as Continental models, but they were called Alpine Eagles by chief test driver (and later Rolls-Royce Managing Director) [[Ernest Hives, 1st Baron Hives|Ernest Hives]], and this is the name that they have kept.((citation needed|date=December 2019))

==The Silver Ghost==
In 1907 [[Claude Johnson]], commercial and managing director of Rolls-Royce, ordered a car to be used as a demonstrator by the company. With chassis no. 60551 and registered AX 201, it was the 12th 40/50&nbsp;hp to be made,<ref name=RRManchester/> and was painted in aluminum paint with silver-plated fittings. The car was named the "Silver Ghost" to emphasise its [[ghost]]-like quietness,<ref>((cite web |title=1922 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost |url=https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/hmg/1922-rolls-royce-silver-ghost/#:~:text=The%20Silver%20Ghost%20was%20named,chassis%20was%20inspected%20and%20test%2D |website=Heritage Museum and Gardens |publisher=Heritage Museums & Gardens |access-date=2 July 2023))</ref> and a plaque bearing this name adorned the bulkhead. An open-top [[Roi-des-Belges]] body by [[coachbuilder]] [[Barker (coachbuilder)|Barker]] was fitted, and the car readied for the Scottish reliability trials of 1907 and, immediately afterwards, another ((convert|15000|mi|km|adj=on)) test which included driving between London and Glasgow 27 times.

The aim was to raise public awareness of the new company and to show the reliability and quietness of their new car. This was a risky idea: cars of this time were notoriously unreliable, and roads of the day could be horrendous. Nevertheless, the car set off on trials, and with press aboard, broke various records. Even after 7,000 miles (11,000&nbsp;km), the cost to service the car was a negligible £2&nbsp;2s&nbsp;7d (£2.13).<ref name=RRManchester/> The reputation of the 40/50, and Rolls-Royce, was established.

The “AX 201” was sold in 1908, for £750, to Sir Daniel Hanbury who used it repeatedly to travel to his Italian residence, [[:it:Villa della Pergola|Villa della Pergola]] in [[Alassio]], in the Italian Riviera, starting from his English residence Castle Malwood in Lyndhurst in Hampshire.<ref>((cite journal |last1=Burgess-Wise |first1=David |title=The Original Silver Ghost |journal=Automobil |date=October 2020 |volume=38 |issue=8 |page=20))</ref>

This car was then recovered by the company in 1948. Since then, it has been used as a publicity car and travelled worldwide. In 1991, the car was restored.

In 2005 it was noted to be the world's most valuable car, its insured value was placed at US$35 million.<ref>((cite web |last1=Schaffels |first1=Brandy |last2=Markus |first2=Frank |title=2005 Concours at Cranbrook |url=http://www.motortrend.com/autoshows/events/c12_0508_cranbrook/ |website=Motor Trend |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218012115/http://www.motortrend.com/autoshows/events/c12_0508_cranbrook/|archive-date=February 18, 2006))</ref>

After the 1998 sale of Rolls-Royce Motors Ltd the car passed into the ownership of [[Bentley|Bentley Motors]].<ref name=RRManchester/>

<gallery widths=250px heights=215px class=center>
File:Rolls Royce Silverghost AX201 restore1.jpg|AX 201 in a photo from 1990, prior to restoration
File:Rolls Royce Silverghost AX201 restore2.jpg|AX 201 with body & chassis separated
File:Rolls Royce Silverghost AX201 restore3.jpg|AX 201 rear end showing ash frame
</gallery>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="250" heights="215" class="center">
File:Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.jpg|1909 landaulet by [[Hooper (coachbuilder)|Hooper]], [[Science Museum, London]]
File:1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer (1419230816).jpg|1910 tourer, [[National Automobile Museum]], Reno
File:1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Touring.jpg|1912 Tourer
File:L'evoluzione dell'automobile Rolls Royce.jpg|1914 tourer in [[Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile]], Torino
File:Rétromobile 2018 - Rolls Royce Silver Ghost - 1914 - 003.jpg|1914 Silver Ghost by Kellner interior
File:1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Labourdette - Flickr - edvvc.jpg|1920 chassis 40FW tourer by [[:fr:Jean Henri-Labourdette|Labourdette]]
File:Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Kégresse.jpg|A 1922 [[Kégresse track|half-track]] owned by [[Vladimir Lenin]], at [[Gorki Leninskiye]] 
</gallery>

==See also==
((portal|Cars))
* [[Rolls-Royce Armoured Car]]

==References==
===Notes===
((reflist))

===Bibliography===
((refbegin))
*((Holmes-UltConv | pages=142–147))
((refend))

==External links==
((Commons category))
* [http://rroc.org.au/library/ax201_1990.html "Ambassador Extraordinary - A History of 'The Silver Ghost'"], reprint from ''Queste'', 1990
* [http://www.rrab.com/models.htm#top Rolls-Royce and Bentley Models]

((Rolls-Royce))

[[Category:Rolls-Royce vehicles|Silver Ghost]]
[[Category:Vehicles introduced in 1906]]
[[Category:1900s cars]]
[[Category:1910s cars]]
[[Category:1920s cars]]

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