40 - 50 H.P. Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost motor car

40 - 50 H.P. Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost motor car

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© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rolls-Royce, yellow, 40-50 H.P. Silver Ghost motor car, 1909, Chassis no. 1119. It is fitted with a Hooper landaulet body, which is supported on a stiff chassis frame of channel-section steel girders. It has a six-cylinder vertical watercooled engine. Rolling chassis built at Roll-Royce works in Derby. Body built at Hooper & Co in Westminster, London.

This is an example of one of the earliest 'Silver Ghost' motor cars to be built and was used continuously until 1929 by the 5th Marquess of Cholmondely. First introduced in 1907, the 40/50 HP, later to become known as the Silver Ghost, remained in production until 1925. The first cars were built in Royce's Cooke Street factory in Manchester but, in July 1908 following the success of the Silver Ghost, the company moved to a custom-built factory in Nightingale Road, Derby. Until after the Second World War, Rolls-Royce supplied cars as a ‘rolling chassis’ – the chassis, engine and other mechanical elements – and the car bodies were built by independent, dedicated coachbuilders. They believed that it was best to focus on their specialism of engineering excellence until the post-war move towards mass manufacture forced a change in order to remain commercially competitive. This car has a landaulet body built by Hooper & Co coachbuilders, which is one of the best known body styles for the Silver Ghost along with the tourer and enclosed cabriolet bodies by Barker an Co, and the London-Edinburgh type. Hooper & Co were very successful, supplying horse-drawn carriages and motor cars to the Royal Family and specialising in luxury vehicles.

Details

Category:
Road Transport
Object Number:
1936-467
Materials:
metal (unknown), wood (unidentified), glass, rubber (unidentified) and leather
Measurements:
overall: 2300 mm x 1740 mm x 4860 mm,
type:
car
credit:
Rolls-Royce Ltd.

Parts

40-50HP Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost motor car

40-50HP Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost motor car

Rolls-Royce, yellow, 40-50 H.P. Silver Ghost motor car, 1909, Chassis no. 1119. It is fitted with a Hooper landaulet body, which is supported on a stiff chassis frame of channel-section steel girders. It has a six-cylinder vertical watercooled engine. Rolling chassis built at Roll-Royce works in Derby. Body built at Hooper & Co in Westminster, London.

More

This is an example of one of the earliest 'Silver Ghost' motor cars to be built and was used continuously until 1929 by the 5th Marquess of Cholmondely. First introduced in 1907, the 40/50 HP, later to become known as the Silver Ghost, remained in production until 1925. The first cars were built in Royce's Cooke Street factory in Manchester but, in July 1908 following the success of the Silver Ghost, the company moved to a custom-built factory in Nightingale Road, Derby. Until after the Second World War, Rolls-Royce supplied cars as a ‘rolling chassis’ – the chassis, engine and other mechanical elements – and the car bodies were built by independent, dedicated coachbuilders. They believed that it was best to focus on their specialism of engineering excellence until the post-war move towards mass manufacture forced a change in order to remain commercially competitive. This car has a landaulet body built by Hooper & Co coachbuilders, which is one of the best known body styles for the Silver Ghost along with the tourer and enclosed cabriolet bodies by Barker an Co, and the London-Edinburgh type. Hooper & Co were very successful, supplying horse-drawn carriages and motor cars to the Royal Family and specialising in luxury vehicles.

Measurements:
overall: 2230 mm x 1880 mm x 4910 mm,
Materials:
metal (unknown) , wood (unidentified) , glass , rubber (unidentified) and leather
Object Number:
1936-467 Pt1
type:
car
Image ©
The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Left hand bonnet cover for Rolls-Royce

Left hand bonnet cover for Rolls-Royce

Left hand bonnet cover for Rolls-Royce, yellow, 40-50 H.P. Silver Ghost motor car, 1908. See TOP record for extended information about this car.

Measurements:
overall: 365 mm x 1120 mm x 30 mm,
Object Number:
1936-467 Pt2
type:
cover - closure
Original straps for offside spare wheel for Rolls-Royce

Original straps for offside spare wheel for Rolls-Royce

Original straps for offside spare wheel for Rolls-Royce, yellow, 40-50 H.P. Silver Ghost motor car, 1908. See TOP record for extended information about this car.

Object Number:
1936-467 Pt3
type:
strap
wooden gauging rod for checking tracking on Rolls-Royce, yellow, 40-50 H.P. Silver Ghost motor car

wooden gauging rod for checking tracking on Rolls-Royce, yellow, 40-50 H.P. Silver Ghost motor car

Wooden gauging rod for checking tracking on Rolls-Royce, yellow, 40-50 H.P. Silver Ghost motor car, 1908. See TOP record for extended information about this car.

Object Number:
1936-467 Pt4
type:
private cars
Door keys for 40 - 50 H.P. Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost motor car

Door keys for 40 - 50 H.P. Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost motor car

Door keys for 40 - 50 H.P. Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost motor car, 1908.

Object Number:
1936-467 Pt5
type:
key -hardware