David’s 1913 Silver Ghost: winning memento of Rolls-Royce's only Grand Prix race
Prior to the First World War, numerous legacy car brands competed in Grand Prix races including Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Renault, Opel and Peugeot to name a few. Another famous marque not typically associated with motor sport is Rolls-Royce, but some enthusiasts may not be aware that the eminent luxury car-maker officially entered one Grand Prix – and scored an emphatic victory.
That was in 1913 when the global automotive industry was in its infancy and pioneers were keen to establish glowing reputations for their brands, including Charles Rolls and Henry Royce who in 1908 opened a new car manufacturing plant in Derby, England.
The company prepared two ‘works’ entries for the 1913 Spanish Grand Prix when such prestigious races were stand-alone events hosted by different countries, long before the F1 World Drivers Championship was established in 1950.
Image: press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/rolls-royce-motor-cars-pressclub
The two GP contenders, which finished first and third, were based on a sporting variant of the 40/50HP Silver Ghost called the ‘London to Edinburgh Continental’ of which only 188 were built during the Silver Ghost's lengthy production run of almost 8,000 units from 1906 to 1925.
The rare and magnificent machine you see here, which is now 111 years old, is one of those 188, the result of a painstakingly authentic restoration by Shannons Club member and veteran motoring writer/broadcaster David Berthon which took 15 years to complete.
Its crowning achievement, of which David is immensely proud, was winning ‘Best in Show’ at the 2017 Motorclassica, during its much-missed reign as Australia’s premier classic car event. Clearly, nothing less than perfection would do for what David describes as the ultimate sporting Silver Ghost.
Image: David Berthon
“My only regret was the time taken to restore it, but the exercise was enormously rewarding,” David says. “Once behind the wheel, the time taken was soon forgotten. The L to E Continental is simply an invigorating car to drive and enjoy, with the period performance I was hoping for.”
The Silver Ghost was powered by a huge side-valve inline six-cylinder engine, initially displacing 7.0 litres in 1906 which increased to 7.4 litres in 1910. A three-speed manual gearbox was superseded by a four-speed in 1913.
The number 40 in its model name denotes its ‘taxable horsepower’ based on a mathematical formula conceived by the RAC for the UK government, while 50 represents its actual horsepower output. These dual-number model names became ubiquitous in the UK.
Image: David Berthon
The robust steel chassis rode on leaf-springs and solid axles, with braking on early cars like David’s reliant on rear drums operated by a hand-lever (!) and a pedal-operated transmission brake acting on the propeller shaft.
So, what makes the L to E Continental so special? The roots of its creation can be traced to the original Silver Ghost’s astonishing performance in the gruelling 24,000km Scottish Reliability Trial in 1907.
It would soon gain the press title of ‘Best Car in the World’ given it covered twice the distance of its closest rival and without an involuntary stop.
Image: press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/rolls-royce-motor-cars-pressclub
It was a faultless performance which heralded Rolls-Royce’s supremacy. The August 1907 edition of The Automotor was effusive: “…one of the most conclusive, if not the most conclusive, trials of downright merit in touring car construction which the world has ever seen.”
Although Henry Royce never intended his luxurious 40/50HP to have sporting pretensions, an experimental model fitted with special bodywork reached a rapid 162km/h at Brooklands in 1911.
It was then rebodied by Holmes of Derby and, strictly supervised by the RAC, driven 1,270km from London to Edinburgh and return (entirely in top gear!) at an average speed of almost 32km/h, with frugal fuel consumption of just under 10L/100km. It also clocked more than 125km/h over the flying half-mile at Brooklands.
Image: David Berthon
Although Rolls-Royce had a non-competition policy, production examples of a new ‘London to Edinburgh’ model emerged in 1912, equipped with a bigger carburettor and higher compression ratio plus larger petrol tank, louvered bonnet, and lightweight torpedo-style body.
On reflection, this new L to E model seemed a direct contradiction of company policy! That was soon validated by adventurous customer James Radley, who entered one in the 1912 Austrian Alpine Trial. However, due to insufficient preparation time, incorrect gearing for such steep inclines and other weight and engine-related issues, Radley was disqualified on day one.
This embarrassing public failure, at a time when the company was expanding sales into Europe, prompted Rolls-Royce to develop an uprated version in early 1913 (our feature car) that would become the ultimate performance variant of the Silver Ghost.
Image: press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/rolls-royce-motor-cars-pressclub
A date with destiny: 1913 Spanish Grand Prix
The catalyst for this car’s creation was not only Rolls-Royce’s resolve to make a triumphant return to the Austrian Alpine Trial in 1913, which it did with a trio of specially-prepared L to E Continentals that blitzed the competition.
The marque’s new Spanish distributor, the Marquis Don Carlos de Salamanca, had also lodged an entry in the Spanish Grand Prix scheduled for June that year. Keen to support its new distributor, who was a well-connected cousin of the King of Spain, Rolls-Royce became a Grand Prix entrant.
The 309km ‘grand prize’ would comprise three laps of a torturous and winding course over the dusty Guadarrama Mountains north of Madrid. And it would be held during the European summer, when ambient temperatures in Spain typically nudged 38 degrees C.
The Derby works prepared two L to E chassis; one with lightweight Barker coachwork for the Marquis to drive and another with similar Holmes coachwork for Rolls-Royce’s chief tester Eric Platford.
Image: David Berthon
Benefitting from lessons learned in Austria, the most significant upgrade was replacement of the three-speed gearbox with a new four-speed unit featuring direct drive (1:1) in top gear.
Other enhancements included a larger carburettor and high-compression aluminium pistons, resulting in an unprecedented output of 75bhp compared to the 60bhp of the standard 40/50HP chassis (the original 50 horsepower figure had long been surpassed).
To accommodate the larger four-speed gearbox the engine had to be slightly raised, which was not enough to affect the car’s centre of gravity and brought the added benefit of extra ground clearance for the large flywheel. The radiator was also enlarged and featured new mountings that provided better isolation from the chassis.
Larger diameter 25-inch wheels fitted with 935 x 135mm beaded-edge tyres were also specified, which gave the cars a sportier appearance and improved stability and top speeds.
These upgraded models earned the additional title of ‘Continental’ although some destined for the British colonies in India and Australia were, logically, called ‘Colonial’ models.
Image: David Berthon
The two L to E Continentals were driven to Madrid in May. In terms of race tactics, Platford was instructed by Rolls-Royce to “…let Salamanca drive as fast as he likes whilst you drive for safety.”
Platford initially led the race but stopped to allow Salamanca to take the lead as instructed. The Spaniard stormed to victory at an average speed of 86km/h, also claiming fastest race lap and best all-round performance honours. Platford, who recorded the fastest final lap, finished third after unwittingly allowing a French rival to slip past into second place.
Having resolutely re-established its reputation as the best car in the world, following its emphatic Alpine Trial and Grand Prix victories, Rolls-Royce would no longer take part in competitive events. It was the end of a brief but brilliant performance era.
Image: David Berthon
Our feature car
David’s magnificent Silver Ghost, to use its full name, is a 1913 40/50HP four-speed London to Edinburgh Continental Torpedo Tourer (chassis no: 2583, engine no: 95C, body: Peel’s Ltd, Brisbane).
It was originally fitted with a Connaught Torpedo Tourer body and delivered to its first owner in London in 1913. With the outbreak of war, it was given to the military for home and active service and at the end of hostilities was sold at auction in 1919 to a doctor in Chester.
By 1925 it had been shipped to its new owner, a doctor in Sydney, where it was fitted with a new tourer body. It then passed through two more owners before being repurposed as a tow truck (!) and by 1936 as a mourning car owned by funeral directors, fitted with a Cadillac body.
It was sold again in 1946 and passed through several more owners before being abandoned in a Sydney backyard. Visible from the road, it was rescued by an enthusiast in 1966 and sold in chassis form to Canberra-based collector Faris Palfreyman, who at one stage owned 26 Silver Ghosts.
Image: David Berthon
Palfreyman fitted the current sporting body from a 1913 sporting Sunbeam built by Peel’s Ltd, the Sunbeam agents in Brisbane. Following Palfreyman’s passing, his grandson sold the Silver Ghost to yet another doctor in 1994.
David finally managed to purchase it in 2001 and committed to a full nut-and-bolt restoration that would be as authentic as he could make it. Chassis and other detailed work were entrusted to specialist Simon Elliott at Melbourne’s Derby Works to ensure its historical accuracy.
This authenticity was also assured by David’s insistence on tracking down original examples for reference. This included the actual winner of the 1913 Spanish Grand Prix (chassis no: 2354) in Kanpur, India where he spent several days photographing and noting its original detail to guide the restoration process.
Image: David Berthon
Melbourne Silver Ghost specialist Robert McDermott rebuilt the engine, complete with new camshaft, valvetrain and high-compression aluminium pistons.
The body was entrusted to Jeff Edwards at Artisan Coachworks, where it received extensive renovation including new windscreen, hood-bows and body timber where necessary, while Jamie Downie at Kustom Garage perfected the panels.
Although our octogenarian Shannons Club member has since parted with his much-loved Silver Ghost, following an irresistible offer from a German collector astonished by the quality of its restoration, David will always cherish the rare privilege of being a custodian of chassis 2583 during its 111-year journey.
