Beschreibung:

The Honorable Charles Stewart Rolls, British gentleman adventurer, aviator, racing driver and astute businessman and Frederick Henry Royce, engineer and innovator, were indeed an indomitable partnership, creating a motoring legend with a reputation for unsurpassed excellence. It says much for the business acumen of Rolls that, despite his inborn desire for things to happen quickly, he tolerated the pedantic and at times frustratingly slow attention to detail of his mechanical genius partner. From this pedantic attention, the Rolls-Royce 40/50hp, ‘The Silver Ghost’, was to emerge and to earn for itself and the company the accolade “The Best Car In The World”. In production from 1907, the Rolls-Royce 40/50hp, (later named ‘The Silver Ghost’), was powered by a 7,036cc, six cylinder engine from 1907 to 1909, later enlarged to 7,428cc. The 40/50hp car passed every test to which it was subjected, whether in service as a formal town carriage in England’s Capital City, sprint racing on sand or competing in the arduous Scottish Trials. Royce’s uncompromising engineering standards demanded only excellence of his staff in Manchester and later Derby and no chassis was delivered until it had been rigorously tested. The Silver Ghost remained in production in England until 1925 and at the Springfield Works, U.S.A., until 1926, the longest production run of any model from that celebrated company. The Silver Ghost found particular favour in India amongst the ruling families, its engineering excellence proving robust in that country’s difficult climate and factory support being second-to-none for its fabulously rich customers in that country where ownership of just a single Rolls-Royce in the motor house was indeed a rarity. Factory Records show that 47 AG was ordered by G Mein Austin of Calcutta, Rolls-Royce agent, for his esteemed customer, His Highness the Raja of Santosh. The car was shipped to Bombay on 14th April 1921. Although Factory Records do not detail the coachbuilder, it has been suggested that the elegant aluminium coachwork was crafted originally by Stuarts of Calcutta and Factory Records show that the chassis was specifically designed to carry ‘6 seater Open Touring’ coachwork. It appears that the car was later owned by The Hon. Raja Sir Manmath Ray Chowdhury, Kt. of Santosh, and by 1927 was in the ownership of a Mrs Burchard in Paris. It seems likely that the magnificent Stephen Grebel headlamps and the running board-mounted tiger-hunting spotlight would be original fittings, in common with many other Silver Ghosts supplied to valued Maharaja customers. In later life the fenders have been modernised in 1930’s fashion and this feature has been retained by subsequent owners. 47 AG has been in the present enthusiastic ownership since 1993, taking part in appropriate touring events, and only the owner’s advancing years bring the car to the market from its well-known Yankee Region member of The Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club. This impressive Phaeton has been featured in that club’s publications in July 1995 and again in February 2003. The elegant phaeton coachwork is finished in grey and metallic green livery and upholstered in blue leather. Touring equipment includes the previously mentioned Grebel lighting, twin side-mounted spare wheels carrying matching rear-view mirrors, a substantial running board-mounted tool chest and the front spring-loaded bumper is a later but practical addition. 47 AG is presented with full touring equipment including snug side curtains and until two years ago was in regular use and maintained by a Rolls-Royce specialist. It comes with copy invoices for maintenance work carried out. 47 AG is well suited for The Grand Tour and is of course eligible for such prestigious events as The Alpine Tour retrospectives and concours d’élégance events on both sides of The Atlantic.