As per the copies of the Rolls-Royce build sheets on file, chassis number 128 EM was first tested in January 1924 and designated a “Stock Car” with a “Standard Drive Cabriolet Body” fitted. When it was sold in February 1924 to the first owner, Mr Hubert Scott-Paine, he requested that Rolls-Royce fit an 11 CWT nine-passenger limousine body to the chassis. Of note was the factory provision of four-wheel braking system, not often seen on a Silver Ghost. Scott-Paine was a notable pre-war British engineer who founded the Supermarine aviation company, which built Spitfires during World War II. Scott-Paine’s engineering extended to boats, where he—alongside Gordon Thomas—became the first man to exceed 100 mph in a single-engined speedboat, a record which stood until the 1980s. With the car returning to Goodwood, a new limousine body with spare wheel on both front wings was installed. The car returned from the coachbuilder and passed its final inspection on 30 June 1924, and was soon duly delivered to Mr Paine. From the notes in the build sheets, Mr Paine regularly sent the Rolls-Royce back to the factory for servicing and repairs, with the logs noting the car’s presence until 1933.

While the later history of this Silver Ghost is unknown, it is thought the car remained off the road for a long period in between World War II and the late 1980s. As with many limousine-bodied examples, the large and cumbersome coachwork was removed and replaced with a tourer body, based upon Barker designs and crafted by noted coachbuilder Steve Penny of S Penny Vintage Carriage Bodies in Banbury, England. The body was painted in a charming shade of pale green, beautifully contrasted by a dark green leather interior. It is believed the conversion took place in the 1990s, with chassis number 128 EM back on the road in November 1995.

In 2007, when the Silver Ghost was last offered for public sale, the car was acquired by the consigning owner, who cherished this Rolls-Royce both on and off the road. The car was enjoyed upon many days out in the Cotswold countryside. Today, this Rolls-Royce presents nicely, and upon inspection has been found to retain its matching-numbers engine and crankcase. This Rolls-Royce is simply ideal for those looking to make the foray into pre-war Silver Ghost ownership.