Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost re-enacts London-Edinburgh run 110 years later

(September 23, 2021) History literally repeated itself recently, as Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 1701 re-enacted its astonishing run in the 1911 London-Edinburgh Trial. The car, designed as an "Experimental Speed Car," won the original event locked in top gear for the entire 799-mile return trip between the two capitals. Given the primitive state of Britain's Edwardian roads, its average speed of 19.59 mph was highly impressive — and its then unheard‑of fuel efficiency of over 24 mpg even more so.

To prove that the car had not been modified in any way, it achieved 78.2 mph on a half-mile speed test conducted immediately after the Trial; it also became the first Rolls-Royce to exceed 100 mph in a later test at the fabled Brooklands circuit in Surrey.

The re-enactment was as faithful to the 1911 event as possible. The car, now a priceless collector's item and wearing registration R-1075, departed from the Pall Mall headquarters of the Royal Automobile Club (which oversaw the original Trial) on Sunday, Sept. 5,  then travelled to Edinburgh on a route that followed the old Great North Road as closely as practicable — locked in top gear just as it was 110 years before.

To add to the spectacle and sense of occasion, 1701 was accompanied by a further nine Rolls‑Royce Silver Ghosts, all of a similar age and in equally magnificent condition, from the 20-Ghost Club. And to complete the pageant, the cavalcade was escorted all the way to Edinburgh by a brand-new Ghost, hand built at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and finished in Tempest Grey.

The run concluded with a reception at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Edinburgh on Sept. 6.

Andrew Ball, head of Corporate Relations, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “Silver Ghost 1701 has a unique and special place in the marque's history and affections. It's difficult to think of many machines that can still perform exactly as they did 110 years ago; this extraordinary car is a remarkable tribute to our predecessors who designed, engineered and built it. We're proud to continue their work and uphold their values in today's Rolls-Royce motor cars — which are still the best in the world."