Description
Imperial War Museum | Duxford, Cambridgeshire
Viewing: Tues 8th April from 12pm
Auction: Wed 9th April from 9am
Location: IWM Duxford Airfield, Cambridge CB22 4QR
1924 Rolls-Royce Springfield 40/ 50hp Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roadster
Formerly the property of F1 World Champion Phil Hill
Estimate
£200, 000 - £250, 000
Registration No: SV 9682
Chassis No: 181 KF
MOT: Exempt
Known ownership history from new and said to have covered just 38, 000 miles
Previously exhibited at Pebble Beach and a past prize winner at The Quail etc
Originally bodied as a Tilbury Sedan then a McNear Limousine and now a Piccadilly Roadster
Kept by grand prix and sports car ace Phil Hill for two decades
Matching chassis, engine, gearbox and rear axle numbers
The model upon which Rolls-Royce's reputation as makers of 'The Best Car in the World' was founded, the 40/ 50hp debuted at the November 1906 London Motor Show. A somewhat conventional yet beautifully executed design, the newcomer was based around a massive ladder-frame chassis equipped with all-round leaf-sprung suspension, powerful rear wheel brakes and spiral-bevel final drive. Displacing 7036cc (7428cc from 1910), its superlatively smooth six-cylinder engine featured a seven-bearing crankshaft, full pressure lubrication and twelve spark plugs (fed via a dual magneto / coil ignition system). Allied to four-speed manual transmission (though, a three-speed gearbox was utilised from 1909 to 1913), the sidevalve unit proved both wonderfully torquey and eerily quiet. Possessing a legendary eye for detail, Henry Royce continued to develop the 40/ 50hp throughout its 18-year production life. Thus, late Silver Ghosts boasted considerably more horsepower (up from 48bhp at 1, 250rpm to 80bhp at 2, 250rpm) and higher top speeds than their earlier brethren.
Rolls-Royce of America Inc was established to bypass the swingeing import duty that had hitherto restricted its parent company's transatlantic sales. Operating from factory premises in Springfield, Massachusetts, the new concern initially built carbon copies of the famous 40/ 50hp model. However, as time progressed so its product became more attuned to the US market. The beautifully wrought ladder frame chassis and enviably smooth 7428cc straight-six engine were little altered but later cars featured a three-speed, centre gearchange manual transmission and left-hand drive (interestingly just 600 or so of the 1, 703 Springfield Silver Ghosts completed were to LHD specification). Designed to woo existing Packard, Cadillac and Pierce Arrow customers who had little truck with the idea of a chassis only purchase, a catalogued range of Rolls-Royce Custom Coachwork was soon made available. The various designs were given British names and subcontracted to the likes of Amesbury, Biddle & Smart, Holbrook, Locke, Merrimac, New Haven, Smith-Springfield and Willoughby.
** Bidding will take place live at the venue, online via our H&H website, by telephone and commission - T&Cs apply**
Parking and entry into the auction is free for auction attendees with a catalogue, available at the door.
Catalogues can be purchased for £20 (admits 2 people).
