- Chassis # S100LK
- Engine # 23003
- The Last Right-Hand Drive, 4-Speed Gearbox Car Manufactured In Springfield, MA
- Featuring A Thoroughly Detailed History Dating Back To New
- Offered In Outstanding Mechanical Condition And Ready To Be Enjoyed
- Includes Original Owner's Manual, Original Keys, Weather Gear, And Available Service and History Files
The Overview
History
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost series of cars first came to market in 1906, originally called the “40.50 h.p.”. The cars were first produced in Manchester before moving to Derby in 1908 and to Springfield, MA, from 1921 to 1926. They were originally powered by a 7,036cc straight-six engine before a more powerful 7,428cc unit was introduced in 1910. The chassis were fitted with various different styles of bodies by coachwork companies, with the same chassis being used as the base for Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars during World War I. Only 7,874 Silver Ghosts were made from 1906 to 1926.
This Car
This particular example, Chassis # S100LK, is the last right-hand drive, 4-speed gearbox car manufactured in Springfield, MA, and began life with a Town Car body. It was purchased as such on April 14, 1925, by a W.H. Porter of New York City. He owned the car in its original configuration until 1934, when he gave it back to Rolls-Royce and had them swap the Town Car body for a Piccadilly Roadster body (#M588) from Chassis # S164JH that was owned by a Walter Reade of Deal, NJ. The body was also altered to resemble a Playboy, lowering the car and the now one-piece windshield, adding valances over the rear springs, and changing the wheels to 20-inch ones.
The now Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roadster was sold in 1935 to a New York advertiser named John MacKenty, who spent his spare time on Ashakomaksett Farm at Martha’s Vineyard. The car spent the duration of WW2 there and was entirely painted gray to avoid it being spotted by patrolling U-boats. Mr. MacKenty bought the car with around 40,000 miles on it and reportedly drove it less than that during his ownership.
In 1957, it made its way to a Ken Sowles of Falmouth, ME, as confirmed by the included Schoellkopf Card. Sowles was a close friend of Prince Phillip, who often asked him for horse and carriage advice and invited him to the Windsor Horse Show. In service records dating back to 1987, Mr. Sowles frequently had the car serviced at The Vintage Garage in North Brookfield, MA. In February of 1987, the leather upholstery on the doors was replaced with new leather. The engine and brakes received their first recorded rebuild that same month, with a total bill of just under $9,000. The exhaust, carburetor, and voltage regulator received the same treatment the following month, this time totaling over $3,000. New pistons were installed in May of 1995, and the blocks were bored +.040 in August of that same year.
After 37 years of ownership, the car was sold to its fourth owner in 1996, who continued maintaining the car and toured England, Scotland, Canada, and the Western/Southern US with it over the span of 17 years. He meticulously kept track of all repairs and maintenance performed on the car, also at The Vintage Garage, dating back to 1996 when he purchased the car. In November of that year, it went in for an oil change, radiator cap, wheel rebuild, and new leaf springs. It then returned in December to have the wheel snap rings, nuts, and valve stem caps were nickel plated.
In May of 1997, the battery cables were redone along with new spark plugs, ignition points, and box fuses. In July, the speedometer was repaired. In August of 1998, the “Spirit of Ecstasy” was stripped, detailed, polished, and buffed. In September, Frank Cooke, Inc. in North Brookfield, MA, took over for a non-fluid oil and transmission oil change. It returned to The Vintage Garage in November for an extensive service that included an extra oiler tube, a number of bearings, gaskets, and screws, a generator repair, as well as plating of curtain rods and light conduits. In June of that same year, it received a new wind wing panel, brake light, left door striker, and a lot more plating on its worn parts.
May of 2000 saw the Rolls receive a new fuel line with a new coil, fan belt, and repaired clock following in September. In December, the differential was cleaned, a new gear set was installed, the rear axle was refurbished, the rear brake linings were redone, and the rear and front shocks followed suit.
Fast forward to 2010, and the straight-six engine under the hood received a full rebuild, from top to bottom, totaling in at just under $4,800 and giving this British beast a new lease on life.
The fourth owner continued driving the car until 2019, when he sold it to the owner from which we procured it. In mid to late 2020, the radiator was balanced and readjusted at American Honeycomb Radiator in Bowdoin, ME. The most recent service record on file dates to November of 2021, when the connecting rod and piston assembly was refurbished.
As it sits, this gorgeous British roadster is an extremely well-sorted example with plenty of interesting historical details to boot. Its itinerary of meets and tours attended throughout the world since 1996 serves to show how appreciated a classic Rolls-Royce like this is at any Concours-style event. It is by no means a garage queen and is more than happy having its wheels turning down long stretches of blacktop.
Upon purchase, the new owner will receive the original owner’s manual and pouch, original keys, the vast amounts of service records on file, and several pieces of correspondence between the previous owners of this car.
The Details
exterior
body and paint
The exterior of the car is very nice and presentable for an older restoration. There are the typical scratches and paint chips that you would expect from a fantastic driver-quality car that has been regularly used. The maroon body is consistent in color, but the paint has some heavy swirling throughout and stone chips in high-traffic areas. The black fenders are also fairly consistent in color but do contain Swirling and some minor checking of the paint forming. The fenders show some cracking and paint chipping in the front area, as well as a section of what appears to be baked on buffing compound on the front left fender. We tried to remove this but it appears to need some professional hands to rectify. The passenger side rear fender has a heavy scratching and chipping of the paint, especially on the other edge above the tire. The body itself is straight and clean and shows no signs of improper repairs, etc. The gaps and body lines all appear to be within good fitment, including the hood, which is a notorious trouble spot to get fitting properly. There is quite a bit of wear on the mounts for the dual side-mounted spares on the inside in the form of paint chipping and some scratching. Overall though, the imperfections truly do not take away from the presence of the car in the slightest. It is quite clear that it is an example that has been used and enjoyed as it should and will provide years of the same moving forward.
glass and trim
The brightwork throughout the car remains in good serviceable condition. The headlight bezels show some scratching and some wear in the finish, but appear to be good original units with the proper glass that also shows some minor scratches and dust but are overall crack free and in good condition. The bumpers front and back have a fairly good shine to them, but the metal does appear a bit pockmarked on the inner-facing surfaces, and the chrome side does show some minor scratching and swirling in the finish. The door handles and the trim around the windshield are in good serviceable condition showing some beautiful patina. The folding soft top is in good usable condition. The wood does show some minor degradation but appears to be in overall solid and functional form. The soft top shows some fraying around the edges as well as some staining but is overall in good condition. Tail lights are in a similar condition to the headlights, showing a fine patina to the bezels, but appear to be original units in a good standing condition. The glass has some hazing to them, but no cracks are present. The rear-mounted trunk has a fantastic patina to it with the leather, cracked and aged throughout but remains in overall solid and serviceable condition.
wheels
The black spoked wheels are all in nice order, with some minor chipping to the painted surfaces and the chrome-lipped edges. The metal center locking hubs are all in fair condition, also showing some minor chipping and scratching to them that comes with normal use.
notable flaws
Overall this car presents nicely for an older restoration; however, it has been used and enjoyed thoroughly, and as such, it does show some imperfections that come with the territory. Small paint dings and scratches are present throughout the body, especially on the fenders. Please thoroughly review the full photo gallery above to get the best idea of the condition of the car.
interior
seats and surfaces
The interior of the car presents very nicely in line with the exterior of the vehicle with clean, smooth seating surfaces, showing some signs of use in the form of slight fading to the leather and light scratches to the seating surface. There’s a fine patina to most of the control surfaces that ties in nicely with the exterior of the vehicle. The steering wheel has a crack in the plastic cover on one of the spokes but appears to be solid still. The floormat fits well and shows no fraying or tearing. The wood-trimmed dash contains a smooth solid surface with no peeling or chipping of the veneer. The gauges are all easily legible with relatively clean and tidy glass.
functionality and accessories
This car has been kept in excellent mechanical condition and has received proper servicing and care throughout its life, and because of this, it appears that all interior functions work as they should. The emergency brake holds the car firmly in place, the doors open and close with ease, the gauges all appear to read their proper functions as they should, the turn signals illuminate, and all knobs and switches appear to function in their proper order. The map light closest to the driver's side does not appear to currently function. There are a set of aftermarket seatbelts installed, a nice upgrade for safety while touring this vehicle.
notable flaws
In a similar fashion to the exterior of the vehicle, the interior contains some patina and imperfections that come with use. Please refer to the detailed photos in the photo gallery above to get the best idea of the current condition of this vehicle.
engine bay and trunk
engine bay
Opening the engine bay reveals the fact that mechanical prowess was of very high importance in the history of this vehicle. The engine bay displays very nicely, with all plated components having an excellent shine to them and all appearing in good or outstanding mechanical order. Overall, the engine bay is very correct, with the exception of a few modern hoses and clamps, as well as a modern-style spin-on oil filter. There is some minor dripping and road dirt accumulation that you would expect from a driver quality example. In addition, there is a tiny bit of overspray on the interior of the bonnet that shows as somewhat of a purplish color. All stampings, tags, etc., appear to be in their proper places, and many of the components have the iconic RR symbol stamped on them. There is some minor cracking in plastic components, such as the tube that carries the wires from the distributor to the spark plugs. The welting around the edges of the bonnet is in good order, an item that usually gets missed.
trunk area
The rear rumble seat appears to be in partially original condition, with the seating surfaces appearing to have been replaced with the interior of the car, but the side panels, flooring, and wood all containing fantastic patina and showing in excellent original condition.
Underside
The underside of the car appears very much in line with the engine bay, highly correct, and well looked after to ensure a well-running and reliable vehicle. Other than some normal road dirt accumulation from regular use, the underside appears quite clean, tidy and correct. Mechanical components appear well looked after, and there are no signs of any issues, past or present.
mechanicals
engine
Its strong mechanical nature is where 00LK truly shines. It has been thoroughly and properly maintained throughout the years and it truly shows in the easy starting and running nature of the engine. The big straight-six engine easily fires to life and sounds strong and healthy. During our brief testing of the vehicle, we noticed no real issues, and it appears ready to continue touring and driving as it has for most of its life.
transmission
The transmission moves easily between gears and the clutch feels responsive and proper. The clutch and transmission can be a bit jerky at slower speeds but this is an issue that can be resolved with practiced driving and getting this beautiful masterpiece out on the open road.
brakes and suspension
The brakes and suspension both feel proper, with the brakes bringing the car to a smooth, controlled stop. They certainly arent modern performers, but they do their job as intended! The suspension feels comfortable and compliant, with no odd noises or road behavior to speak of.
tires
The tires are Leister tire company six-ply 7x20 on all four corners. They appear in decent condition all around, with solid sidewalls. The rear tires show a bit of low tread to them and may want to be replaced before any heavy use is taken.
driving experience
Driving prowess is where 00LK absolutely shines. As can be seen from the list of completed tours located in the documents section, this car has been driven regularly and often. On top of that, it has been properly maintained by the best industry professionals. The exterior presents nicely, and the shape of the body is stunning and timeless. It does have some imperfections that come with usage; however, this just means that no worry needs to be taken when utilizing 00LK as it has been for years, touring and driving!