The original, still immaculate Silver Ghost has 800,000km (500,000 miles) on the clock. It’s probably the most valuable car in the world
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost easily won the Scottish Reliability Trials of 1907 between Glasgow and London then went on to travel 24,000km (15,000 miles) without needing any servicing. This was unheard of as most cars at this time were notoriously unreliable. It made the new manufacturer’s reputation, and Autocar magazine hailed the Silver Ghost as ‘The Best Car in the World.’
The ‘Ghost’ title was because the car is so quiet, and, when the engine is idling, so smooth you can balance a penny upright on it without falling.
Surprisingly, the car sold by Rolls-Royce was just the engine and chassis. The coachwork was custom-built by specialist companies after delivery to the new owner, who had to be very rich indeed.
Just a few thousand Silver Ghosts were produced at Rolls-Royce’s factories between 1907 and 1926.
