Nellie is a beautifully restored award-winning 1925 Rolls-Royce
Silver Ghost Springfield Oxford Touring bodied by Merrimac. Earning
a class award at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours and Best in Class
at the 2023 Amelia Island Concours, this Silver Ghost can be
enjoyed immediately on the show field or on CCCA CARavans or Silver
Ghost tours. Nellie presents as being nearly perfect while being a
perfect touring car for Silver Ghost tours worldwide. With a
well-documented history since new and her RROC chronology since
1951, this is a true late Springfield Ghost featuring left hand
steering, its original engine, and a gorgeous restoration performed
by Competition Motors. The ownership history of this Ghost includes
many of the marques top collectors. Finally, the drivetrain has
been restored by top specialists in North America, including Frank
Cooke and Steve Littin. Ordered new by Mrs. Nellie A Cluett, whose
family were the longtime owners of Arrow Shirts but was personally
well known for the Grenfell Mission where she helped supply much
needed food and supplies to missions along the east coast. Nellies
Ghost was delivered new to her home in Troy, NY on May 15, 1926.
While Mrs. Cluett lived until 1959, by 1951 the Ghost was acquired
by Alfred J. Meyer, Jr. of Plymouth, MA. Mr. Meyer and Nellie are
included in the RROC Directories until 1971. By November of 1979,
Nellie had become part of the esteemed Rick Carroll collection in
Jensen Beach, FL. By December of 1984, Nellie had become part of
the incredible collection of Friendly Ice Cream founder Prestley
Blake in Somers, CT. In 1991, Jacques Bambling of Easton, MA
acquired her. Mr. Bambling was a professor at the University of
Idaho and had collected many vintage photos of the Ghost. By
September of 1998, S142ML had been acquired by Donald and Ann Hare
of Rollinsford, NH. The Hares enjoyed Nellie for about 23 years and
sold it in August of 2021. Over the years Nellie has been restored
and repainted many times. She has been completely and thoroughly
restored, including the engine being rebuilt (Frank Cooke circa
2006), new radiator core, rewired, etc. Don and Anne had Nellie
meticulously maintained and serviced until last year by the experts
at Competition Motors in Plymouth, MA. Competition Motors
extensively restored her for concours showing and touring including
beautiful new paint, interior, upholstery, convertible top and
extensive mechanical restoration. The historical file for Nellie is
very extensive. She is documented in Rolls-Royce in America by John
DeCampi, in photos from Duke University in the 1950s, a 1981
postcard from the Henry Austin Clark Museum, and in the Flying Lady
from 1993, 2002 and 2004. She has participated in the RROCs 2004
Sea to Shining Sea Tour and earned a National Second Place in the
Concours Class at Williamsburg RROC Annual Meeting. Needless to
say, Nellie has unquestionable provenance, is a proven tour veteran
and is a concours award winner- a wonderful combination! Her livery
is a beautiful deep burgundy with black fenders and wire wheels.
The paint is fantastic and in excellent condition. The brightwork
is all nickel and in excellent polished condition that is ready for
the concours field. The convertible top is perfect and is black on
its exterior and tan for the headliner. Nellie has a trunk rack
with a correct black leather trunk with a black canvas cover that
is also in as-new condition. The overall condition of the exterior
is nearly perfect in every regard, definitely a very high point
restoration. The drum headlights and cowl lights and tubular front
and rear bumpers are all in excellent condition with their nickel
finish. The iconic Rolls-Royce radiator grill shell, early-style
horizontal grill slats and the Spirit of Ecstasy are all correctly
finished in polished nickel. The nickel-plated windshield is in two
pieces, allowing for increased ventilation. The rear passengers
benefit from a rear windshield that is also beautifully nickel
plated and in excellent condition. Nellie looks terrific with the
top up or down!! She comes equipped with a black canvas full
interior tonneau cover and a second black canvas tonneau cover for
just the rear passengers. These tonneau covers are great for tours
and shows. The interior features beautiful burgundy leather that is
in as-new condition and is very soft and supple showing no wear.
The carpets are a matching burgundy Wilton wool with burgundy
leather binding. Nellie has two folding jump seats, allowing for up
to seven passengers. The original wood grained dashboard is in very
nice condition, with full instrumentation that are all in very nice
cosmetic condition. All the instruments are functioning, including
her Chelsea 8 Day clock, the Stewart Warner speedometer, US Gauge
Co. fuel pressure and oil pressure gauges, Weston Electric Amperes
gauge and her The Motometer Co. temperature gauge. The numbers
matching engine and engine compartment are absolutely gorgeous!!
Power is provided by the venerable 7.4-liter L-head inline-six that
is said to be rebuilt by Frank Cooke in about 2006 and is mated to
a four-speed manual transmission. The combination of the polished
brass, copper, aluminum, and black paint are stunning. The engine
sounds great, and she runs and drives very well with excellent
power. The brakes, suspension and chassis are all in excellent
condition and we know of no mechanical issues at all. Cosmetically
the chassis looks very nice and is well finished. The leather
gaiters wrapping the springs all appear to be complete and in
excellent condition. For more information and details, please call
or text Harry Clark at 1.602.245.7200 or email us at
[email protected]. This Silver Ghost is available for
inspection at our showroom in Phoenix. We are pleased to coordinate
inspections, and we help coordinate shipping worldwide. We also
have financing partners if you are interested in financing.
