1921 | Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost

Sold | £103,500 GBP

• An unusually intact Silver Ghost of beautiful design and fine provenance
• Retained by its original family until 1976
• Part of The Boland Collection for more than 40 years; a prized possession
• Fitted with its matching-numbers engine
• Ideal for RREC rallies and other events; a marvellous tour automobile

Please note this car is offered without registration papers, bidders should satisfy themselves as to registration requirements in their own jurisdiction.


Per its build record, chassis number 172LG was originally delivered with engine number 0269 (as fitted today) to Captain H H Liddell-Grainger at The Travellers Club in London. He was also listed with an address at Ayton Castle in Berwickshire. The bodywork was produced by Barker as an especially attractive Tourer. With a polished aluminium bonnet and a ‘three-door’ design, with two doors on the kerbside only, here was a very rakish appearance altogether similar to a 4½-Litre Bentley of the period.

The Rolls-Royce ownership records note that care later passed to its first owner’s wife, Lady Muriel Liddell-Grainger, as of 1929. Fascinatingly, according to a copy of the original “buff” logbook that remains in the file, it appears to have remained with the Liddell-Grainger family until 1976, when it passed to noted Welsh Rolls-Royce and Bentley collector and connoisseur T Layton Roberts. An attestation from Mr Roberts states that the car had “covered a genuine 32,000-odd miles since new and is only one owner”. In his ownership, it was restored by Antique Automobiles of Baston.

In August 1978, the car was sold at auction by Sotheby’s for what was a world-record price at the time. Its new home was the Banham International Motor Museum, where it was displayed for nearly four years. Chassis 172LG again returned to the Sotheby’s block in 1982 and soon after was acquired by Jim Boland for his distinguished collection in the mid-1980s. Remarkably, the Silver Ghost has remained part of his stable ever since.

Today, the restoration of the car shows abundant use in the most charming way. The leather interior is finely broken-in like a well-loved jacket and the paint still shows well enough for driving use. It should be noted that having been retained on static display for some years, it is recommended that the Rolls-Royce is inspected by a mechanic prior to being driven.

The car would be a most tempting entrant to any number of Silver Ghost and Rolls-Royce events in the United Kingdom, on the continent, and abroad, with its wonderful history recommending it sincerely to all comers.

Please note this lot has entered the UK on a temporary import bond, which must be cancelled either by exporting the lot outside of the UK on an approved Bill of Lading with supporting customs documentation or by paying the applicable VAT and import duties to have the lot remain in the UK.


To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/ch25/.