1925 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Scaphandrier-style tourer

Looking at the clumsy double tops I wonder: What were they thinking?

by Diane Brandon

When electrical engineer F. H. Royce joined forces with well-known motoring sportsman the Hon. C. S. Rolls to form Rolls-Royce Motors in 1905, it took them two years to hit their stride with the 40/50 HP model, now commonly called the “Silver Ghost.” Rolls promoted the marque in trials and road races, while Royce, a mechanical genius, developed the 10 HP twin, then the 15, the 20 and 30 HP models, and finally the 40/50, introduced in 1907. The heart of the Silver Ghost was its magnificent engine, a 7,036-cc (later 7,428-cc) side-valve six equipped with seven-bearing crankshaft and pressure lubrication. A sturdy chassis comprised of channel section side members and tubular cross members was suspended on semi-elliptic leaf springs at the front and a “platform” leaf spring arrangement at the rear, though that was soon revised. The transmission was soon changed too, a three-speed with direct top replacing the original four-speed and overdrive in 1909. In the...