Today’s featured find is a 1926 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Brewster Playboy Convertible — a mouthful of a name befitting such a distinguished automobile. Produced from 1906 to 1926, the Silver Ghost was originally designated the 40/50 horsepower model, a refined replacement for its predecessor, the 30. Before getting to this particular car, it’s worth understanding how the Silver Ghost earned its legendary name.

How the Silver Ghost Got Its Name

The name Silver Ghost didn’t come from Rolls-Royce itself, but from a showing at the 1906 Olympia Motor Show. The car on display, chassis number 60551, was finished in aluminum paint with silver-plated fittings — earning it the “silver” half of its name — and ran so quietly it earned the “ghost” half too. The press awarded the 40/50 its now-famous nickname at that debut, but Rolls-Royce itself didn’t officially adopt the name Silver Ghost until 1925, when the company launched the Phantom.

AX201 and the Run That Made the Legend

Chassis number 60551 — registered as AX201 — was the 12th Silver Ghost off the line, and Rolls-Royce put it through extensive testing to prove its refinement and reliability. Over the course of about a year, AX201 covered roughly 15,000 miles, driving between London and Glasgow a record-breaking 27 times without a single breakdown, aside from tire punctures. In an era when the automobile was known to be as unreliable as it was loud, AX201’s remarkable quietness and unsurpassed reliability earned Rolls-Royce the title “Best Car in the World” — an epithet the company still proudly uses today.

From Springfield Sedan to Brewster Playboy

In 1920, Rolls-Royce of America was established to avoid high import tariffs. This 1926 Silver Ghost started its life as a closed-cabin, formal-looking build from the American plant in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1932, it was reconfigured into its current Playboy Roadster coachwork by Brewster, an American custom coachbuilder. Open-bodied coachwork by Brewster was extremely rare — only 28 examples were built this way.

Spotted at Cars & Coffee

Our featured car was spotted at a local Cars & Coffee, proudly driven in by its owner. Although this car is extremely precious, she’s no garage queen. The Brewster body wears a stunning yet conservative Oxford blue, complemented by nickel-plated bright work, and the soft top folds into place without any unsightly bumps or wrinkles.

Redundancy by Design

True to Rolls-Royce’s standard of refinement and reliability, the company put an emphasis on functionality as much as, or even more than, looks. That shows up in deliberate redundancies, like fitting the engine with a hand crank even though it has an electric starter, and installing two spark plugs per cylinder when one would suffice. These features supplied the esteemed Rolls-Royce owner with a high sense of assurance that their money was well spent.

Watch the Full Video

Want the full story straight from the driveway? Watch the complete video here: Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost – The Best Car in the World 🎥