1908 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost
- Engine
- 7.0L inline six-cylinder L-head, single updraft carburetor
- Colour
- Deep garnet with gold coachline
Chassis 60756 is a 1908 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost, among the earliest surviving examples of the marque and ranked by restorer Jonathan Harley as the ninth-earliest identifiable extant Ghost. Ordered in May 1908 by London theatre impresario George Edwardes and bodied by H.J. Mulliner, it passed through several notable hands before undergoing a thorough restoration by Harley with coachwork by Wilkinson of Derby under the ownership of British collector W.D.S. Lake. It subsequently resided with prominent American and Japanese collectors before entering long-term private ownership for over two decades.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$990,000
- 1908 →Factory deliveryGeorge Edwardesfull documentation
London theatre impresario who ordered the car in May 1908; the completed vehicle was delivered to him that autumn by H.J. Mulliner.
- 1915 →Acquisition unknownHerbert Morrispartial documentation
London-based owner recorded by Fasal and Goodman as a subsequent keeper of the car.
- 1921 →Acquisition unknownMrs. Chris Caslonpartial documentation
London-based owner recorded by Fasal and Goodman; the car was registered in London as LM 4367 in 1919 per factory records.
- 1958 → 1972Acquisition unknownCecil Bendallpartial documentation
Established old-car dealer from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, who recovered the bare chassis from a breaker's yard near Witney and fitted a temporary racing body in place of the existing breakdown-truck body, leaving the mechanical components otherwise untouched.
- 1972 → 1984Private saleW.D.S. 'Bill' Lakefull documentation
Prominent Rolls-Royce and Bentley collector from Sussex who commissioned restorer Jonathan Harley to undertake a comprehensive mechanical and coachwork restoration, with a period-correct 1908-style body built by Wilkinson of Derby.
- 1984 →Private saleJames Stickleypartial documentation
American Rolls-Royce enthusiast and active RROC member from Iowa; recalled Harley describing the car as the finest Ghost in existence at the time of purchase.
- → 1991Acquisition unknownCharles Howardpartial documentation
Long-standing British enthusiast who kept the car in England for approximately two years before selling.
- 1991 → 1993-12-01Private saleIshieto Morimotopartial documentation
Japanese owner who held the car briefly before it was acquired by the current keeper.
- 1993-12-01 →Private saleCurrent long-term caretakerfull documentation
Anonymous owner who has maintained the car for over two decades; assembled supporting documentation including factory build record copies for this sale.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownRick Carrollnone documentation
Part of a succession of Florida-based collections through which the car passed after leaving Stickley.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownBill Lassiternone documentation
Florida collector; held the car as part of a noted collection before it was moved to England.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1958Modification
A temporary makeshift racing body was fitted to replace the deteriorated breakdown-truck body discovered on the chassis; no other mechanical work was carried out at this time.
Work attributed to Cecil Bendall following discovery at a breaker's yard near Witney.
- —RestorationJonathan Harley
Comprehensive restoration of the chassis by Jonathan Harley, including correct-type gearbox replacement, new fuel tank, new quarter-elliptical springs, rebuilding and refitting of the original magneto, and re-gearing of the original steering box. The original engine was retained. Original wooden wheels were subsequently restored and refitted after a period on wire wheels.
Restoration carried out during Lake's ownership; the work is described at length in Harley's book on the Silver Ghost.
- —BodyworkWilkinson
A new period-appropriate 1908-style open touring body was designed by Harley and Lake and constructed by Wilkinson of Derby, finished in deep garnet with gold coachlines, dark brown leather interior, and extensive brass fittings throughout.
Body built as part of the Lake-era restoration programme; coachwork details confirmed by photographic record in published marque literature.
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