I did some quick searching:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Silver_Ghost
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost refers both to a car model and to one specific car from that series.
Originally named the "40/50 h.p." the chassis was originally produced at Royce's Manchester works, before moving to Derby in July 1908 and also, between 1921 and 1926, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Chassis no. 60551, registered AX 201, was the car that was originally given the name "Silver Ghost." Other 40/50 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 in 1907.[citation needed]
The chassis and engine were also used as the basis of a range of Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars.
....In 1907. Claude Johnson, Commercial 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 hp to be made,[2] and was painted in aluminium paint with silver-plated fittings. The car was named the "Silver Ghost" to emphasise its ghost-like quietness, and a plaque bearing this name adorned the bulkhead. An open-top Roi-des-Belges body by coachbuilder Barker was fitted, and the car readied for the Scottish reliability trials of 1907 and, immediately afterwards, another 15,000-mile (24,000 km) 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 record upon record. Even after 7,000 miles (11,000 km), the cost to service the car was a negligible £2 2s 7d (£2.13).[2] The reputation of the 40/50, and Rolls-Royce, was established.
AX201 was sold in 1908 to a private customer who used it for his annual vacation to Italy and recovered by the company in 1948. Since then, it has been used as a publicity car and travelled worldwide. In 1989, the car was restored by SC Gordon Coachbuilders Luton, and P&A Wood, London, UK. It is now owned by Bentley Motors.
The Silver Ghos
Dave (imported) wrote: Thu May 24, 2012 9:21 pm
t is considered the most valuable
car in the world; in 2005 its insured value was placed at US$35 million.[5] Today it is valued in US$57 million.
http://rroc.org.au/library/ax201_1990.html
Claude Johnson selected the 12th chassis, 60551, on the short 135 inch wheelbase as his publicity vehicle and ordered a semi-Roi des Belges open body from Barker & Co. on March 6th 1907. It was specified that the coachwork would be painted silver and that upholstery would be in green leather. Lamps and other external fittings were to be silver plated. Price of the body was £110-14-0 and the chassis retailed at £950 plus £7-l0s for the aluminium dashboard fitted as an alternative to the usual polished teak.
It was a striking ensemble and Claude Johnson, who had an Edwardian penchant for naming cars, called it The Silver Ghost by virtue of its appearance and 'extraordinary stealthiness'. The name was carried on a special repousse' plaque on the scuttle. Although after the arrival of the 40/50 h.p. New Phantom in 1925 earlier 40/50 h.p. models were known as Silver Ghosts to avoid confusion, there was only one motor car entitled to the name - 60551, registered AX-201.
Factory records preserved by the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation show that the chassis was tested for 80 miles by chief tester Eric Platford and was despatched by "road, Mr Johnson" on April 13th 1907. Back in London no time was lost in arranging trial runs for the Press and The Autocar of April 20th recorded: "The running of this car at slow speeds is the smoothest thing we have ever experienced, while for silence the motor beneath the bonnet might be a silent sewing machine..." On the day that report appeared the first private customer - William Arkright of Chesterfield - took delivery of a 40/50 h.p., 60544. None of the earlier 40/50 h.p. chassis was sold until 1908.
On May 3rd, 60551 was driven to Bexhill then north to Glasgow, accompanied from Hatfield by a White steam car, both cars being under RAC observation. They went on to cover the tough route proposed for the 1907 Scottish Reliability Trial before returning to London. Between May 3rd and 14th The Silver Ghost completed 2,000« miles under official observation, recording a best fuel consumption of 23¬ mpg for one section. On the route north Claude Johnson had driven the 518½ miles to Glasgow using third and fourth gears only. At the conclusion of the trial, performance was measured on Bexhill track - there was a 20mph overall speed limit - with 54.94 mph recorded in the direct third gear, in which 3.4 mph was possible. Such flexibility was important to Edwardian motorists, many of whom were incapable of changing gear on the move. Apart from punctures, adjustments during the twelve days had amounted to only 1 hour 28 minutes.
On Friday June 21st The Silver Ghost, accompanied by 40/50 h.p. models driven by Charles Rolls and Harry Swindley of The Autocar carrying press representatives, left London for Glasgow and the Scottish Reliability Trial. The first day's run was to Derby, the party proceeding on the following day to Keswick via Manchester, Matlock, Buxton and the Cat and Fiddle Hill, where the famous photograph was taken. Glasgow was reached at 6 p.m. on the Sunday with no mechanical troubles but the inevitable punctures.
On June 24th The Silver Ghost came under the recognisance of the Scottish Automobile Club and was weighed - 3,460 lb unladen. Of the nine other cars in Class VII, only two were less powerful than the Rolls-Royce. The 747 mile route was covered over five days, with about 160 miles a day apart from the final day, when 114 miles were driven. It was no picnic with poorly surfaced mountain roads and some steep climbs, such as the 1-in-7 Rest and Be Thankful on the first day's Glasgow to Perth run. It was on the second day, Perth to Aberdeen, that The Silver Ghost suffered her only involuntary stop since leaving London 629 miles earlier. This probably occurred after Claude Johnson had negotiated the treacherous Devil's Elbow and just short of the long Calmwell Hill where the road climbs to 2,200 feet. It took a minute for the trouble to be traced to the petrol tap which had shaken itself shut - hardly a major failure. Apart from this incident the Rolls-Royce made non-stop runs each day and gained the gold medal in its class for hillclimbing speed, reliability and fuel consumption. The latter was 17.02 mpg.
A lesser man than Claude Johnson would have been content to call it a day but on Monday July 1st he was heading south from Glasgow to London intent on breaking the world record for a 'non-stop' run, which stood at 7,089 miles. 'Non-stop' in that context meant without an involuntary stop on the road, apart from punctures, so routine maintenance and even repairs and replacements were allowed at the end of a day's run. All such attention was duly logged by the ever-present RAC observer - one of four - accompanying The Silver Ghost. The route from Glasgow was Airdrie, Edinburgh, Berwick, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Durham, Darlington, Boroughbridge, Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Manchester, Tarporley, Newport, Watling Street, Coventry and thence by the Holyhead Road (A5) to the RAC clubhouse in Brick Street off Piccadilly. The Glasgow to London distance was 512 miles and this route was reversed for the return journey between the two cities.
On arrival in London on Tuesday July 2nd, Claude Johnson had completed 1,603 miles at the wheel of The Silver Ghost and handed over to Charles Rolls. Later on the driving was shared by Eric Platford and 'mechanician' Reginald Macready. Running day and night the miles soon mounted and a week later 4,558 miles had been covered. A Press party met at the Midland Hotel, Manchester on the evening of July 18th to follow the breaking of the record. At midnight Claude Johnson in The Silver Ghost, accompanied by the Press in another 40/50 h.p. driven by Henry Royce, started south to the cheers of the hotel guests. At Mere Royce departed for Knutsford and a works driver took his place, following the dim tall light ahead. Whitchurch was reached with the dawn and approaching Newport the morning mist reduced the motor cars' speed. The sun shone as the world's record for a non-stop run was broken at the crossing of the Wolverhampton and Cannock roads.
The original plan had been to complete 10,000 miles under RAC observation but the Rolls-Royce continued to run with the regularity of a train, so with the agreement of the club the distance was increased to 15,000 miles. That figure was reached on the night of Thursday August 8th after the Glasgow to London route had been covered 27 times and 14,371 miles were without an involuntary stop - only the petrol tap incident marred the 15,000 mile total. Servicing, repairs and replacements (excluding tyres) over the distance took 40 hours 13 minutes, including 8 hours 28 minutes to grind in the valves after 7,500 miles and 10 hours 5 minutes for the addition of a new fuel tap and a system to enable the pressure in the petrol tank to be maintained either automatically or independently by hand - there was no fuel pump.
After completion of the mileage, which occurred just north of St Albans, AX-201 was driven direct to the RAC garage in London for Rolls-Royce Ltd had announced the intention at the outset for The Silver Ghost to be stripped by the club's engineers and the cost of putting her back into 'as new' condition ascertained. The following day the Trials Committee members were taken on a demonstration run which included some test hills and pronounced the running of the car as 'excellent'. They found: "The car as a whole, and the engine in particular, were exceptionally quiet (especially on the third speed direct drive) and free from vibration."
After a thorough technical examination and dismantling no wear measurable by micrometer was found in the engine, gearbox, rear axle or brakes. To bring the car back to 'as new' condition two front wheel pivot pins, one steering rod tie pin, the ball tip of the steering lever, magneto driving joint, fan belt and petrol strainer were replaced. The steering ball joint's sleeve was refitted and the valves were reground. "Had the car been in the hands of a private owner no replacements would have been considered necessary," stated the RAC report. Cost of all replacements and servicing during the 15,000 miles and putting AX-201 back to 'as new' condition was just £28-5s-0. The annual running costs of a RollsRoyce, for 7,500 miles, was calculated at only £46-18-0, excluding tyres.
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