‘AX201’, the 1907 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp that first gained the ‘Silver Ghost’ nickname, is coming to this summer’s Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace on 3-5 September.
It will be the first time in more than 20 years that it has been shown in public – and you can get Concours of Elegance tickets using our exclusive offer.
This very car won the gold medal in its class at 1907’s 750-mile, four-day Scottish Reliability Trials, before Claude Johnson, Rolls-Royce’s managing director, decided to use it to attempt to break the record for non-stop motoring. With an observer from the Royal Automobile Club, ‘AX201’ was run continuously for two weeks, reaching 15,000 miles on 8 August, smashing the previous 7098-mile record.
The car then received its ‘Silver Ghost’ sobriquet because of its colour and, for the time, silent operation – all 40/50hp cars subsequently adopted this moniker.
After a period in private hands, this 1907 Rolls-Royce returned to the factory for repairs between 1948 and 1951, before being used by the manufacturer for publicity.
