1926 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tilbury Sedan
Among the formal enclosed body styles offered through Rolls-Royce of America’s Custom Coachwork catalog, the Tilbury sedan was produced in notably small numbers, with just 138 examples on the American Silver Ghost chassis.
Carrying no glass divider between driver and rear passengers, it appealed primarily to owner-drivers rather than those with a chauffeur, setting it apart from the limousines and town cars elsewhere in the Springfield lineup.
Bodies were constructed by American coachbuilders under the Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Work hallmark, with Willoughby of Utica, New York among the principal suppliers, alongside Biddle & Smart, Merrimac, and Holbrook. Standard designs were available from existing stock for buyers who preferred not to commission work to order.
The biggest change to the American Ghost came in 1925, when right-hand drive and four-speed gearboxes gave way to left-hand drive and three-speed transmissions. Further American adaptations included Bosch ignition systems and fuel pumps in place of the British Autovac vacuum tank system.
Power came from the 7,428cc L-head inline six-cylinder, factory rated at approximately 80 bhp at 2,250 rpm. Top speeds in the 70 mph range were achievable with the high-speed rear axle ratio, and 1926 marked the final year of Silver Ghost production at Springfield.
Source
