Beschreibung:

1909 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER GHOST ROI-DES-BELGES TOURER Chassis No. 1179 Engine No. 1179 Dark green with dark green leather upholstery Engine: six cylinder, 7,428cc, side valves, 48bhp at 1000rpm; Gearbox: three speed manual; Brakes: two wheel drum; Suspension: front, semi-elliptic leaf springs, rear, three quarter elliptic. Right hand drive. Chassis No. 1179 is the eighteenth oldest Silver Ghost extant. It is a brass-trimmed car with all the expected accessories fitted to a Silver Ghost of this period including a Boa Constrictor horn, Lucas "King of the Road" lamps, a double Elliott speedometer/clock and a full complement of tools. Additional period accessories include an RAC Members' badge, a Shell Motor Spirit Can for spare petrol and a complete set of spring gaiters; the latter being an unusual and attractive addition to a Ghost of such early manufacture. The engine was totally restored in 1988 by specialists who went to great expense and installed new cylinder blocks. Chassis restoration was performed by well-known early Rolls-Royce specialist Jonathan Harley of Harley Engineering, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire. Coachwork on the car is a faithful copy of an original Roi-des-Belges design by Barker. Leather is diamond-tufted in the style of the period and the gold and red striping complements the dark green finish on the Art Nouveau-inspired body styling. Discovered by prominent English collector Michael Neale in the 1950s, Chassis No. 1179 went through the hands of a number of well-known American and English specialists before joining the Lutgert Collection, where it holds pride of place as the oldest Rolls-Royce therein. It carries proper cast British registration plate no. LD 6808 and is registered with the Rolls-Royce Owners Club, The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain and the Royal Automobile Club with badge no. 1645 mounted on the radiator cap. The Roi-des-Belges style coachwork is regarded by most enthusiasts as the most attractive and useable Edwardian style Silver Ghost.