Henry Royce and Sir Charles Rolls joined forces to produce the very first Rolls-Royce cars in 1904. Royce (later knighted, to become Sir Henry) carried on as the company’s titular head until the early 1930s, designing every part of the cars that bore his name.
The magnificent 40/50 hp model, soon nicknamed the ‘Silver Ghost’, appeared in 1906. In British terms, 40/50 denotes the engine type and its power rating: amazingly, in spite of its huge 7-litre engine, this was probably only 60 bhp, the huge car’s top speed being a mere 50 mph.
Compared with any other contemporary car, the Silver Ghost was smooth, silent, ultra-reliable, and amazingly elegant. Around 8,000 were produced between 1906 and 1926, 1,700 coming from a subsidiary in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Not even a fast car by mid-1900s standards, it always behaved in a more refined and dignified, manner than any rival. With this model, Rolls-Royce established the ‘Best Car in the World’ tag that it would flaunt for so many years.
The car was available with a variety of splendidly built bodies, though Rolls-Royce never built their shells. There were two wheelbase lengths – 135.5 in or 143.5 in – all cars carrying the same long bonnet and patrician radiator, which had been modelled on the very best in Greek architecture. A really well-equipped limousine with up to seven seats would be driven by a chauffeur, and could weigh up to 5,000 lb. Progress was stately, rather than spirited.
The engine, conventionally laid out, had rocking levers placed between the side-mounted camshaft and the valve stems themselves. With a sturdy crankshaft, which defied the very thought of torsional vibrations, it ran silently at all times. It was quite possible to stand alongside an idling Silver Ghost and not realise that the engine was running.
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The engine itself was enlarged, to 7,428 cc, in 1909. The original gearbox, an ‘overdrive’ four-speed design, was replaced by a three-speeder from 1909 to 1913, after which a direct-top four-speed box was adopted.
The original platform-type of leaf-spring rear suspension gave way to conventional leaf springs at an early stage, then to a cantilever layout from 1912.
Other changes included the fitment of a spiral-bevel instead of a straight-bevel rear axle (1923), an engine torsional damper (1911), a dynamo (1919 – instead of a magneto), four-wheel brakes with a Hispano-Suiza type of servo (1924), Hartford suspension dampers (1924) and wire spoke wheels (standard from 1913).
Although the Silver Ghost was never a technological advance, Rolls-Royce ensured that it was always the world’s best built and equipped machine. Approved coachbuilders gradually modernised, along graceful lines. A Silver Ghost was instantly recognisable, dignified and suitable for every occasion.
Every owner, Rolls-Royce thought, needed to employ a full-time chauffeur, trained by Rolls-Royce, someone who usually lived in the grounds of his master’s house, perhaps over the garage, where there would be a fully-equipped workshop.
When the time came to retire the Silver Ghost, it needed to be replaced by a superb new model, which is why the new Phantom I did not appear until 1926.
The huge 7-litre engine had rocking levers and a sturdy crankshaft which ran silently at all times. This was a smooth, ultra-reliable and elegant car whose progress was stately, rather than spirited. |
