If someone hosted a birthday party for you, would they show all your guests the reports you wrote for work or the spreadsheets you compiled? Of course not. That’s not how birthdays for people go. It’s very different for car companies. They may contribute to charities and help people in their surrounding communities, but automobile manufacturers will always be primarily remembered for what they produce. To commemorate Rolls-Royce’s 120th anniversary, next month Salon Privé will bring together seven of the marque’s significant vehicles from the 20th century at Blenheim Palace in England. We’ve highlighted a few of them below.
1911 40/50hp – “1701” (aka The Sluggard)
You may have heard a Rolls-Royce referred to as “the best car in the world.” That phrase was first used by Autocar when it reviewed the 40/50hp in 1907 – only a few years after Rolls-Royce was founded (that’s like Michael Jordan being called “The G.O.A.T.” in 1986). Rolls-Royce didn’t stop there, though. In response to rival company Napier finishing the 799-mile London-Edinburgh-London drive in record time, they developed an “experimental speed model” powered by a high-performance 7,428cc six-cylinder engine. Chassis 1701, aka The Sluggard, a name inspired by the internal debate about whether the car fit the company’s core client base, was prepared for the 1911 London to Edinburgh Top Gear Trial. With Rolls-Royce’s experimental test driver Ernest Hives behind the wheel, the 40/50hp dethroned Napier and even went on to hit 101 mph on the Brooklands track. Under current ownership, it’s completed the London-Edinburgh journey several times and finished a 3,500-mile re-run of the 1913 Alpine Trial.
1923 Rolls-Royce Springfield Silver Ghost Pall Mall
Believe it or not, Springfield refers to Springfield, Massachusetts, where Roll-Royce had a facility that assembled cars sent as kits from its Derby factory on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Many of the Springfield-made cars, including this one, had showroom-ready bodies instead of those made by independent coachbuilders. It started life as Chassis 77JH in the Derby factory in 1923, was assembled and fitted with locally sourced electrical components and wheels in Springfield, and fitted with an enclosed Pickwick body. Later in life, this Silver Ghost was given a Pall Mall tourer body from a 1921 Silver Ghost, making this reportedly one of only two surviving, American-built Pall Mall tourer Dual Cowl specimens. Most recently, it was named Best in Class at The Amelia Concours d’Elegance earlier this year.
1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental by Freestone & Webb
This one was made for speed – or as its build sheet says, “fast touring.” It looked the part with its Freestone & Webb bodywork, which had no side-mounted spare tires or running boards to visually slow it down. The crisp lines also gave buyers a glimpse of the future design language Rolls-Royce would use in postwar models.
1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V by HJ Mulliner Park Ward
Originally finished in Valentines Black over Velvet Green and Beige Hide, this Rolls was repainted white under new ownership in 1967. You may have heard of the gentleman who commissioned the cosmetic change: John Lennon. In addition to the new paint job, he had it equipped with a Webasto sunroof, a Phillips record player, an 8-track player, a phone, a TV, and a rear console. Lennon eventually sold it to Beatles manager and Abkco Music and Records founder Allen Klein. This Phantom remains a part of the Klein family, but it’s been restored to look as it did during its time with Lennon.
Other Rolls-Royce models that will be featured at the Salon Privé concours August 28 and 29 include:
- 1953 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith by Hooper & Co.
- 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn Drophead Coupé by Park Ward
- 1988 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit by Hooper & Co.
For more information, including ticket prices and the schedule of events, head to the Salon Privé site.
Source: www.classiccars.com