1920 - 1931 Rolls-Royce Springfield Silver Ghost
Provided by Hemmings

Two factors caused Rolls-Royce to establish a manufacturing plant in the United States. First was the English automaker’s correct perception of the growing demand in the U.S. for Rolls-Royce cars; second was a punishing U.S. import duty on automobiles.

In February 1920 the former Wire Wheel Corporation of America plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, was bought and converted for auto production to Rolls-Royce standards. About one year later, Springfield Silver Ghosts began to roll out of the factory and Rolls-Royce of America was in business. The Springfield location was a fortunate choice as an excellent source of labor, for the entire Connecticut River valley had a long tradition of precision manufacturing and machining, including such diverse products as firearms, bicycles, motorcycles and automobiles.

Initially, the Springfield Rolls was the same as the English product. In fact, Rolls-Royce declared in a public statement that, “These will be identical and interchangeable with the chassis produced at the works in Derby, England.” However, only the first 25 US-built Rolls-Royce chassis followed this policy. Changes were made that included a US-supplied electrical system, and American rather than Dunlop wire wheels. As the years went by a host of changes were incorporated which better suited the enormously diverse American driving conditions.

Another major difference in the marketing of Springfield Rolls-Royce versus the Derby cars was the matter of custom coachwork. A British customer was expected to buy the chassis and then order individual coachwork to suit his requirements. Americans, however, being from a society used to immediate gratification, wanted cars with a minimal delivery time but still carrying outstanding body styles built with the finest craftsmanship. So Rolls-Royce devised a selection of body styles and designs, built in small volumes by several of the best U.S. coachbuilders. Most prominent among these was Brewster, which designed and constructed some of the best-looking bodies ever to grace Rolls-Royce chassis. Other body-makers, who built under the badge of Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Work, included Smith Springfield, Merrimack, Biddle and Smart, New Haven, and Willoughby.

As with most any other marque, the body style on a Springfield Rolls has a great deal of bearing on the car’s market value. There have been some exquisite bodies placed on these cars as well as some of unrelieved ugliness. A good number of the surviving cars may carry second or even third bodies, as original or second owners tended to keep these cars for a long time and sometimes switched a formal body to a sporting one or vice versa. In fact, a Rolls-Royce with a second body—as long as it is a period conversion—doesn’t carry the stigma that a body switch does with other Classics. The Rolls-Royce Owners Club won’t even deduct judging points as long as the second or third body is legit and not someone’s concoction finished last week.

Being such long-lived cars, the Springfield Ghosts have enjoyed an excellent survival rate. In terms of purchase price, the trick is to find and buy a car that doesn’t need a great deal of restoration as the cost to bring these machines back from the grave can be hair-raising and wallet-busting. Ascertaining the authenticity of the Springfield cars is relatively easy thanks to books, which include records of the cars built there, and in some cases, subsequent bodies and modifications performed on them. Be warned though, parts are expensive and the cars themselves are complex and thoroughly overbuilt (it’s been said Henry Royce would never use one bolt when ten would do).

On the upside, you can buy a closed body Springfield Ghost in touring condition for well under $50,000. An open Ghost, however, can climb past $150,000 depending on the state of restoration/originality and the exact body style. Nobody ever said owning a Rolls-Royce was cheap.

Specifications:
Base price $10,900 to $13,800 depending on body style
Base weight 2,200 pounds (chassis only)
Body optional at customer’s preference
Frame Ladder type with tubular cross members and front diagonal braces
Wheelbase: 143 ½ inches
Height: Varies with coachwork
Suspension
Front: Semi-elliptic leaf springs with Rolls-Royce friction shock absorbers
Rear: Cantilever type with Rolls-Royce friction shock absorbers
Steering: Screw and nut
Brakes: Mechanical internal expanding on rear wheels
Engine: Six-cylinder cast in blocks of three each. L-head 4 ½ x 4 ¾ -inch bore and stroke
Transmission: Four-speed manual (later cars have three-speed gearboxes)