Most Valuable of Classic Cars? Enter the Rolls Royce

When it comes to the classic car and hot rod restoration world, one question that is always asked and bantered about is what is the most valuable of classic cars. Naturally, every restorer and automotive enthusiast has their own brand, model, and production year that calls to them, but there are a few specific vehicles and production runs that just about all in the industry can agree are of the highest quality. Rolls Royce Silver Ghost automobiles are such an example.

Introducing the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

The phrase 'Silver Ghost' refers both to the first widely produced automobile model manufactured between 1907 and 1926 by Rolls Royce and to one specific car from that series. Rolls Royce would retroactively call the entire series the Silver Ghost after they began production on the Phantom I.

Throughout nearly the full era of its production, the Rolls Royce automotive company simply called this first generation vehicle of theirs the "40/50" due to its ability to generate 40/50 horsepower with its six-cylinder in-line engine. This was, and remains, a gorgeous model and it deservedly earned the prestigious publication Autocar's designation of being the "Best Car of the World" when it was debuted to the public in 1907.

What made it so highly esteemed is hard to define. While there was nothing precisely extraordinary about the model, it was extraordinarily and beautifully built. Between 1907 and 1926, nearly 8,000 Silver Ghosts were built while Ford released nearly 16,000,000 Model Ts during that same period. These were vehicles that were painstakingly built and were named by one critic as "a triumph of workmanship over design". Where other vehicles had to continually be taken to a mechanic for engine and body troubles, many owners of the Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts reported their vehicles never wore out and the engines ran smoothly with minimal noise. Exaggerations, sure, but not too much so. This was the first model to feature rigid front and rear axles with a full complement of leaf springs for a much more comfortable ride. Starting in 1923, the model was also notable for having four-wheel servo-assisted brakes, a unique feature in the automotive industry at the time. Other features unique in the early years of the model include electric lights and a three-speed transmission that was later upgraded to a four-speed transmission in 1913.

Silver Ghost Chassis Number 60551, AX201

Silver Ghost Chassis Number 60551 is arguably the most valuable car around. It was selected by Claude Johnson, a member of the Rolls Royce automotive company, and ordered with a semi-Roi des Belges open body. The coachwork was to be painted silver, the upholstery in green leather, and lamps and external fittings requested to be silver plated -- facets that earned the model the name the Silver Ghost. It became the first of the models to be debuted and it's how the name became synonymous with this entire line of Rolls Royce vehicles.

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