Phantom Silver marks 100th Anniversary of Silver Ghost

It was 100 years ago this week that a new marque established itself in the minds of the British public as the world’s finest car. Just over 12 months after Frederick Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls began manufacturing cars together, the company’s new Silver Ghost won the gold medal in its class for hill climbing speed and reliability at the 1907 Scottish Reliability Trial. Later that year, a Silver Ghost travelled 14,371 miles non-stop to set the world record for a motor run, the publicity further reinforcing perceptions of the name which went on to become a metaphor for excellence the world over. To mark the 100th anniversary of the Silver Ghost, Rolls-Royce has produced a special model, the Phantom Silver , of which only 25 will be made. The Phantom Silver will carry a UKP22,000 premium over the standard Phantom price of UKP220,000.

First built in 1906, specifically to publicise the then new Rolls-Royce 40/50 h.p. six-cylinder model, the Silver Ghost established the Rolls-Royce reputation for reliability and engineering excellence. The name was coined in 1907 by Rolls-Royce Managing Director, Claude Johnson, by virtue of its silver coachwork and its ‘extraordinary stealthiness’. The original Silver Ghost, registered AX-201, competed in the 1907 Scottish Reliability Trial, for which it won the gold medal in its class for hill climbing speed and reliability. The Silver Ghost went on in that year to break the world record for a non-stop motor run, covering a London to Glasgow route 27 times, with mileage totaling 14,371 miles.

More than 6,000 “Silver Ghosts” were built between 1907 and 1925, and sold in every corner of the world. The majority are still in good running order.

In tribute to the specifications of the original, the Phantom Silver is finished in a new Bespoke paint, Metallic Ghost Silver. The 21-inch wheels have chrome centres and on top of the grille sits a hallmarked solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy. Inside, Rose Leaf or Crème Light leather is accompanied by seat piping and headrests embroidered with the Rolls-Royce interlinked RR badge. Straight grained Santos Palissander wood veneer is used throughout. The same veneer is also used on a specially designed presentation box that houses the key, two solid silver key fobs and a specially commissioned solid silver Conway Stewart fountain pen.

Phantom Silver specification

* Bespoke Ghost Silver paintwork * 21-inch alloy wheels chrome centre caps * Roseleaf or Crème Light leather interior trim * Santos Palissander veneered wood * Coolbox * Solid silver and enamel Conway Stewart pen * Solid silver key fob * Solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy * Bespoke drinks holder * Bespoke champagne flutes and tumblers detailed with silver * White instrument dials * Bespoke clock matched to instrument dials * Phantom Silver tread plates