1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer

• A very well-known and highly regarded example.
• Extensively toured across Europe and Australia including three Alpine Tours.
• Beautiful ‘Barker’ style Tourer Torpedo coachwork by Peter Lamb.

This glorious 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, chassis no. 1606, offers the epitome of Edwardian driving with its parallel bonnet, gleaming brass bright-work and handsome coachwork. Having been fully restored in the 1990s, the car presents beautifully and has been extensively toured across Europe, America and Australia. Its most recent achievement was the 2023 Alpine Tour hosted by The 20-Ghost Club.

Chassis cards indicate that 1606 was ordered on 4th November 1910 on behalf of Samuel Gibson, the principle partner of Foy & Gibson, a famous Melbourne department store. It was originally ordered as a ‘long 1911’ chassis with C-rake steering and additional springing as the ‘car will be used in Australia’. Also specified were brass fittings and Rudge Whitworth detachable wire wheels. 1606 was ‘on test’ at Derby on 7th April 1911 and ready for delivery to Australia in June of the same year. Upon arrival in Australia, special torpedo touring coachwork was produced by Kenlow Motor Company.

The Gibson family toured the car in Australia and in 1913 shipped it back to England for a Grand Tour. Here the car returned to the Derby Works for general repairs and maintenance, and was issued the registration number it carries today, CH-722. This is a number in the series issued in the Derby area frequently carried on Rolls-Royce trials cars.

After enjoying travels across the UK, Colombo, Aden, Genoa and Gibraltar, the Gibson family shipped the car back to Australia where it was used by Samuel Gibson until his death in 1917. His widow kept the car until 1927, from which point it passed through different Australian owners, detailed within the car’s history file. By 1961, 1606’s body had been removed and the rolling chassis was bought by George Green of Castlecrag, an extensive Silver Ghost collector. He carried out restoration work on the car between 1969-70 and fitted a Brougham Landaulette body by Holmes. In 1970, 1606 was driven nearly 1,100 miles to successfully complete the FIVA International Rally from Sydney to Melbourne.

In 1988, 1606 was purchased by the late Silver Ghost collector and historian Keith Wherry, who shortly thereafter commenced a full restoration with Robert McDermott in Melbourne. The talented Australian coachbuilder, Peter Lamb, was commissioned to construct coachwork for the car in its original touring configuration. In building the body, Mr Lamb took inspiration from period Marlborough Torpedo bodies by Barker, including the masterfully formed cowl, sculpted front seats and the delicate curvature of the rear coachline above the fuel tank. The wings add a sporting lightness to the design, as does the brass-framed articulating windscreen.

After its restoration, 1606 was air-freighted to the UK where it took part in numerous rallies including the 1993 Alpine Tour. In the same year, it won the 20-Ghost Club Concours; Best in Show at the RREC’s Annual Rally; and completed the Gordon Bennett Trophy re-enactment in Dublin as well as the Transcontinental Reliability Trials in the USA. Impressively the car completed more than 13,000 miles with Mr Wherry in 1993.

In 1995 the car competed in the Pebble Beach Concours and was subsequently sold to Prestley Blake, an American enthusiast who added 1606 to his formidable collection. In 2008 it was purchased by the current owner and brought back to England where it immediately won the Fred and Joan Watson Trophy for the best Large Horsepower Car at The 20-Ghost Club’s Annual Concours and the best Silver Ghost at the RREC Annual Rally.

Since 2010, the car has participated in all the 20-Ghost Club major tours including the 2010 Prince Henry Tour; the 2011 Centenary Top Gear Run from London to Edinburgh; the 2013 Centenary Alpine Tour; the 2016 Sunshine Tour to Biarritz; and the 2018 Prussian Tour.

Few motor cars from the Edwardian period offer the refinement and capability of a Silver Ghost, of which 1606 is a splendid example. The car strikes the perfect balance between comfort and sporting appeal, making this a great touring example.