1909 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Open Drive Landaulette
Over-engineering defined every aspect of construction, with components assembled using far more fasteners than strictly necessary and dual ignition systems (magneto and coil) where many competitors used one.
The 7,428cc L-head inline six-cylinder engine was rated at 48 horsepower for taxation purposes, its aluminum crankcase and extensive copper and brass plumbing creating such mechanical beauty that some engines were preserved independent of their chassis when cars were scrapped.
Barker supplied the Open Drive Landaulette coachwork, representing the formal coachbuilding standards of the period. The three-speed manual transmission, semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension, and rear drum brakes completed the specification (front brakes were not fitted until 1924).
Claude Johnson’s marketing genius established the model through reliability trials. The 1907 Scottish Reliability Trial brought substantial recognition, followed by Alpine Trials successes in 1913 and 1914.
The company’s silver-painted trial car earned the 40/50hp its ‘Silver Ghost’ designation through remarkable smoothness and near-silent operation.
Production in the UK spanned from 1906 to 1925 (with U.S. production in Springfield, Massachusetts from 1921 to 1926).
First World War service repurposed or destroyed many early examples, making original-bodied survivors exceptionally rare. Among pre-1910 production years, only a small number of examples are known to survive.
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