- Car got nickname after toy maker copied it for a range in the 1960s
By
Tom Gardner and Nick Enoch
Last updated at 8:10 PM on 1st March 2012
One of the rarest Rolls-Royce cars ever created is expected to fetch £2million when it goes up for auction.
The 1912 Double Pullman Limousine – or ‘Corgi’ as it became known – is one of the most
recognisable of the company’s famed ‘Silver Ghost’ production to
survive.
The car acquired its nickname after the toy maker copied it for a range in the 1960s – and it is thought to be the only one of its type in existence.
Under the hammer: Experts say this legendary and unique Silver Ghost is one of the finest Rolls-Royces ever created, exactly 100 years ago
The 40/50hp vehicle was delivered new
to John M Stephens – a known connoisseur of the brand
who had purchased the first ever Silver Ghost that Rolls-Royce delivered.
He then employed the best coach-builder of the day, Barker and Co. Ltd, to transform the bodywork.
The style chosen echoed the
luxurious ‘Pullman’ Railway carriages pioneered by American George
Pullman.
For sale: The car, which has become known as The Corgi because the toy maker copied it for a range in the 1960s, is expected to fetch more than £2million at auction
Spot the difference: The Corgi toy version of the roller, pictured, is a very accurate copy of the real Silver Ghost. The real car will be sold by Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
The design of the ‘Corgi’ echoed the luxurious ‘Pullman’ Railway carriages pioneered by American George Pullman
James Knight, from Bonhams, which is selling the car, said: ‘Back in those days, customers would buy the engine and chassis and would employ coach builders to do the bodywork.
‘The first owner of this car hired the
best coach builders of the day and the car epitomises the upper
echelons of Edwardian society.’
The result was a luxury vehicle
that has amazingly survived a century and is still in perfect condition
– one of the last working from the 7,874 manufactured between 1906 and
1926.
Many other Rollers of this era were converted into ambulances and other types of emergency vehicle during World War One.
But the Corgi – chassis number 1907 – remained
unharmed.
With its perfect provenance and 7.3
litre, six cylinder engine still running smoothly, it runs at 15 miles
to the gallon and can cruise at 50-60mph.
The car was chosen by Corgi Toys to be a model in their ‘Corgi Classics’ series, and thereby being identifiable to car enthusiasts of all ages
Since the Second World War, it has graced a handful of the
world’s finest known automobile collections: those of John C. Sword and
Denis de Ferranti in the UK and latterly those of Richard Solove and
John O’Quinn in the US.
Its sale follows the death of renowned collector Mr O’Quinn in a road accident.
In the mid-1960s following its sale
as part of the famed Scottish Sword Collection, it was chosen by Corgi
Toys to be a model in their ‘Corgi Classics’ series, and thereby being
identifiable to car enthusiasts of all ages, who named it simply as ‘The
Corgi’.
The veteran vehicle is so desirable that enthusiasts from around the
world are expected to bid on it when it finally goes under the hammer at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday, June 29.
The Duke of Westminster in the driver’s seat of a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost in 1914. The Duke formed the 1st armoured division and this car was used on the Western front in the same year
A customised 1911 Silver Ghost owned by the Maharaja of Mysore
Sir John Mills is driven in a vintage Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost in 2000 during the pageant celebrating the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday in Horseguards Parade, London
The Rolls-Royce has headlights, carriage lights and rear lights, inflatable tyres and it runs almost silently.
The bodywork is designed for comfort, not speed, and the elegance of the Silver Ghosts created the great name of the motor firm.
Mr Knight said: ‘The
quality of this car is great – so great that in the 1960s Corgi
designed a toy car based on it. It subsequently acquired the nickname
The Corgi Rolls Royce.
‘Most Rolls Royce cars of this age have lost their coachwork. Many were adapted in the First World War for use as ambulances.
‘When this was new, it would probably have been driven by a chauffeur and there is no seat next to his.
‘Speed was a secondary consideration after quality, but it would have cruised at 50 or 60mph, but could have gone faster.
‘You
have to remember that roads in those days were not like the ones we
have today and the ride would be much smoother on modern roads.
‘It is a heavy car with leaf spring suspension which was similar to the suspension on coaches that were pulled by horses.
‘It is coming up for sale because of the sad passing of the US collector John O’Quinn.
‘The
car has graced some of the great collections and has a superb
provenance. It has been restored and can be used – but probably
sparingly.
‘It could go anywhere in the world and we expect it could go for £2million-plus.’
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Just a small, (perhaps a little pedantic) correction to your article, Rollers are used to make roads and tend lawns ,I am sure you meant, in reference to the, ” Best car in the World “, Rolls Royce………….
David Payne, Dunmow, Essex and Spain. 2/02/2012
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Stunning, I run a 1990 Bentley RT and also a last edition (2009) Arnage, we also have the Phantom garaged in London for when the family in town. These cars are the hallmark of everything that was right about British engineering, yes yes I know the Phantom is German owned, but the skill in making these cars is uniquely British …. the 1990 RT still drives like a new car and whilst expensive to maintain, you can buy these cars relatively cheaply and enjoy the sheer pleasure of driving them …… I hope this car finds a home in a non humid country and lives on for another 100 years or so …
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Now that’s one car I would buy if I had the money, it’s real British, with none of the foreign influence, and I just love real British motor cars, they make the new RR’s look vile over priced, and foreign.
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DM “The result was a luxury vehicle that has amazingly survived a century and is still in perfect condition – one of the last working from the 7,874 manufactured between 1906 and 1926”
Come DM that is not correct. Nearly two thirds of all the Silver Ghosts built still survive and most of them are road worthy, although no-one can afford the petrol to put in them….
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Amazing to consider that 6 out of every 10 Rolls Royce cars EVER made, are still running…brilliant!
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The toy’s probably worth a bunch, too. HaywoodZarathustra, Fat City, Atlantis——-I’ve still got mine in the original packaging. Somehow I doubt it will make £2m and probably would be reluctant to sell it. It’s a nice thought though!
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Best car ever made. Must check piggy bank.
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I’d love to drive it! I do drive a 1934 Rolls Royce and even by todays standards, I still know I’m driving a Rolls Royce. And……………………. I can place a 10p piece on the running engine and it stays there just like I can, in the drivers compartment, only hear the clockwork clock ticking.
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1912 ……….The traffic signal was first invented by a Detroit policeman named Lester Wire. He built a two-colour, red-and-green light with a buzzer to warn pedestrians ahead of the impending transition………….completely wrong ..The first ever traffic lights were first used in London in 1868……….so do your research first DM
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Beautiful ; there can’t be many left with the red RR on the radiator.
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