Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Alpine Eagle

1920 Rolls-Royce 45/50 hp 'Silver Ghost' Alpine Eagle Sports Tourer

Chassis No. 56FW Engine No. K47

"The directors were obviously as impressed as the public when they first saw it on display... The company's future, based on the intuitive Royce design and uncompromising standard of workmanship that they had clearly set, lay in the rapidly expanding field of. luxury cars..." - Edward Eves, "Rolls-Royce, 75 Years of Motoring Excellence".

Although the 40/50hp model would have earned its 'Best Car in the World' designation in any case (in fact it was first used by the Pall Mall Gazette in November 1911), Rolls-Royce's decision to drop all types only served to draw attention. to what became known as the 'Silver Ghost'. Prior to 1908, when it moved to new factories in Derby, the company, founded by engineer Frederick Henry Royce and businessman the Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls, had produced various models at its Manchester premises. Prior to the decision by managing director Claudy Johnson to peak at the top of the range 4/50k cars were produced with two, four and six cylinders and even the unsuccessful V8. The latter first appeared at the 1906 London Motor Show and became known as the "Silver Ghost" the following year when a chassis numbered "60551" with a silver painted tourer body by Barker & Co.

At the heart of the Silver Ghost was its magnificent engine, a 7,036cc (later 7,428cc) side-valve straight-six fitted with a seven-blade crankshaft and pressure lubrication. The sturdy chassis, consisting of channel-section struts and tubular cross members, was suspended on semi-elliptic springs at the front and a 'platform' arrangement of leaf springs at the rear, although the latter was revised. The gearbox was soon changed too: a three-speed top-gear direct-drive gearbox replaced the original four-speed/quick-ratio top unit in 1909. The car would have countless other improvements over its 20-year production life. , one of the most important was the adoption of servo-assisted four-wheel brakes in late 1923.

After a successful 2,000 mile test under the supervision of the RAC the factory demonstrator - chassis '60551', 'The Silver Ghost' - was entered for the Scottish Reliability Trials in 1907 and completed a 15,000 mile run with great colours, setting a new world record. From then on the car's reputation was assured, with another series in North America, where wide open spaces emphasised reliability and comfort. Royce's uncompromising technical standards demanded only perfection from its employees in Manchester and later Derby, and no chassis was delivered until it had been tested.

Rigorous testing continued publicly in the interest of promoting sales. Another such venture was the legendary journey of chief test driver Ernest W Hives in September 1911 from London to Edinburgh with only the highest gearing. Rivals Napier had just completed a similar feat and Rolls-Royce felt obliged to rise to the challenge. Hives' Silver Ghost averaged a remarkable 24.32 miles per gallon during the 400-mile journey and, on completion, was clocked at 78.26 mph on the Brooklands race track. This car, chassis '1701', featured cantilevered rear springs and an engine upgraded with an increased compression ratio and larger carburettor, while the lightweight sports-touring 'torpedo' bodywork was by Holmes & Co of Derby. Orders for replica models from London to Edinburgh poured in.

The luxury motor car "Silver Ghost" was not designed with motorsport in mind, but this did not deter the more enthusiastic owners. In 1912, Mr James Radley privately entered his 40/50hp car in the Austrian Alpine Trial, only to find that the limitations of the three-speed gearbox prevented him from negotiating the Katschberg Pass. As a result, Rolls-Royce prepared four cars for the 1913 event, equipping them with four-speed gearboxes and more powerful engines producing 75 hp (up from 60 hp) due to increased compression ratios and larger carburetors. These changes marked a dramatic improvement and the team's cars won six awards, including the prestigious Archduke Leopold Cup. Inspired by this success, the factory began producing cars of the same specification for customers. Officially these were the "Continental" models, but they are better known by the evocative nickname "Alpine Eagle", given to them by Ernest Hives.

The Silver Ghost remained in production in England until 1925, with 6,173 completed at the Manchester and Derby factories, and by 1926 at the Rolls-Royce factory in Springfield, USA, where a further 1,703 were built, the longest production run of any model by this celebrated company.

Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost '56FW' was delivered new as a rolling chassis to Automobiles Rolls-Royce (AAR) in France on 23 July 1920 for their customer Mr J Hemeret, 9 Rue de la Baume, Paris. Correspondence on file between Rolls-Royce France and Mr Hemeret states that it was to be coachbuilt by Carrosserie Cottenet & Cie, 31 Rue du Colisee, Paris as a three-seater sports car. Unfortunately no pictures of it in this form have survived. Copies of the chassis cards in the accompanying history file show that "56FW" conformed to the Alpine Eagle specification with "D"-rake steering, intended for a three-seater torpedo body, while there are references to it being a "high-speed model" . The chassis cards record service up to 1927.

In 1963 Silver Ghost was owned by Mr Pierre Lemoine, 2 Avenue Rodin, Paris 16e (see colour photo and French registration document). The car is said to have been found disembodied in Morocco. Around this time a skiff type body was fitted. In 1998, '56FW' was owned by Ferrari authority Jess G Pourret (author of 'Le Legende Ferrari 250 GT Competition') and offered for sale by the late Jacques Dumontant. In 1999 the car was sold to the Dutch collector Automuseum Deventer. The new owner brought a Lemoine body and in a very basic configuration (two bucket seats, large fuel tank and old) the Rolls-Royce was entered in the Millennium Rally to the North Cap, which it completed. After the rally, it was decided to order a sports tourer body more suitable for the "high speed model". John Foy of Royston, Hertfordshire, UK duly created the beautiful bodywork that the car carries today.