1907 Rolls-Royce London-Edinburgh Silver Ghost

The architecture of the London-Edinburgh Silver Ghost was essentially that of the first ‘modern’ car. The base of the windscreen essentially bisects the wheelbase, giving as much importance – and as much room – to the mechanical section of the car as to the passengers.

What sets this particular sporting model apart from the earlier cars is the fact that the bodywork is of equal height above the chassis rails all the way from the outer edge of the radiator shell to the back of the body side, or from front wheel centre to rear wheel centre. The wings cannot accurately be described as ‘mudguards’: since they are not sealed to the body, they allow a great deal of surface detritus, whether mud, water or dust, to bedevil the passengers. However, they are excellent at limiting aerodynamic drag, thereby considerably increasing the car’s potential top speed. Aerodynamic awareness is also shown in the fact that the upper portion of the windscreen inclined rearwards, rather than sitting vertically as in most cars of this period.

One can infer the extraordinary quality of Sir Henry Royce’s engineering from the number of Silver Ghost still in use today; not everyday use, obviously. The chassis frame is well above the wheel centres and runs the length of the car with no bends or kick-ups – very much a continuation of horse-drawn vehicle practice in the placement of axles and springs.

These extracts are taken from Auto Legends: Classics of Style and Design by Michel Zumbrunn, text by Robert Cumberford which was published in October by Merrell