1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
- Engine
- 7.4L side-valve inline-six, 40/50 hp
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost chassis 23 EM, delivered in late 1923 to Santiago-based owner Mathia Astoreca, carries a Hooper Tourer-style aluminium body built in Australia on a New Zealand beachwood frame, replacing coachwork that traced back to Rolls-Royce's 1921 Paris Salon exhibit. After spending decades in South America — including a period hauling fruit on the Valparaíso waterfront — the chassis was rescued in 1972, restored with a new body, and passed through several owners across three continents before being rebuilt mechanically in the mid-2000s and used on tours in South Africa and the United States.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$231,000
- 1923-11-01 → 1926Factory deliveryMathia Astorecapartial documentation
Maintained residences across three countries; drove the car extensively in Britain and continental Europe. Four-wheel brakes were fitted in 1925 per original purchase agreement.
- 1926 →InheritanceAstoreca's widowpartial documentation
Had the car shipped back to Chile after her husband's death; later sold it during the 1930s according to family correspondence.
- → 1994Private saleDutch collector in Amsterdamnone documentation
Based in Amsterdam; received the car after completion of the Lamb coachwork project.
- 1994 → 1999Private saleRaymond Lippiattpartial documentation
English enthusiast who registered the car with the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club and invested approximately £5,000 in engine and brake work that had been skipped during the prior restoration.
- 1999 →Private saleMatthew Sysakpartial documentation
Pennsylvania-based owner who undertook a comprehensive engine rebuild around 2005, adding overdrive and new transmission gears; participated in a Rolls-Royce tour in South Africa in 2009 and completed multiple Silver Ghost Association tours in New England and Southern California.
- Date unknownPrivate saleRichard Dyepartial documentation
Based in Santa Barbara, California; acquired the chassis after it was found in use as a working transport vehicle in Valparaíso in 1972.
- Date unknownPrivate saleNeil Collinspartial documentation
Based in Double Bay, New South Wales; commissioned craftsman Peter Lamb to build a replica Hooper Tourer body using New Zealand Beachwood framing with aluminum outer panels, a project taking roughly two years.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1925Modification
Four-wheel braking system retrofitted to the chassis, as had been agreed with the original owner at the time of purchase.
The fitment of four-wheel brakes was a condition understood at the time of the original sale in 1923.
- 2005Engine rebuild
Full engine rebuild incorporating new pistons, cam followers, valve guides, and an exhaust cut-out, accompanied by installation of a new fuel tank, an overdrive unit, and replacement transmission gears.
Carried out by or under the direction of Matthew Sysak; work addressed components not covered during earlier restoration episodes.
- —BodyworkPeter Lamb
Entirely new Hooper Tourer-style body constructed by craftsman Peter Lamb: inner framework of New Zealand beachwood clad in aluminium outer panels, copied from an original example sourced in England by Neil Collins. The project took approximately two years to complete.
Work carried out in Australia during Neil Collins's ownership; the previous body history traces to the Million-Guiet cabriolet from the 1921 Paris Salon car.
- —Mechanical
Engine and brake work costing approximately £5,000 carried out during Raymond Lippiatt's ownership, as neither system had been addressed during the prior restoration.
Documented by a letter from Lippiatt retained in the ownership file.
Are you the owner of this car?
This car's public record is built from its auction and competition history. Register your ownership and privately add your own records to make it a verified Legacy Metrics passport — provenance that backs your car's value at sale and gives your insurer evidence to price against. Roy reviews and verifies every registration personally.