Rolls-Royce
40/50 hp Silver Ghost Alpine Eagle 18PB (James Radley)

Why it matters

Chassis 18PB is described by Gooding as a factory one-off high-performance Alpine Eagle and the final Silver Ghost built for competition before the First World War. The Alpine Eagle specification grew out of Rolls-Royce's success in the 1913 Austrian Alpine Trial.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

In 1912 James Radley entered his own 40/50 in the Austrian Alpine Trial and found the three-speed gearbox could not climb the Katschberg Pass. For 1913 Rolls-Royce prepared four cars with four-speed gearboxes and more powerful engines, 75 bhp instead of 60, through higher compression and a larger carburettor. They won six awards, and the factory then built the same specification for customers as 'Continental' models, known as Alpine Eagles after a nickname by Ernest Hives.

Gooding catalogued 18PB as the 1914 Alpine Trial-winning Silver Ghost, restored to Alpine Trial configuration with its matching-numbers engine, gearbox and rear axle per factory records. The cached pages do not show a link between this chassis and Radley himself.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Gooding & Company – 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 40/50 HP Alpine Eagle Tourer Level B

   • 1 this individual car, chassis 18PB (Gooding: 'Factory One-Off High-Performance Alpine Eagle Model')

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   1914 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Alpine Eagle Tourer, Pebble Beach 2024 Level C Gooding Christie's

   • Engine 55.R
   • 7,428 CC L-Head Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
   • Inline 6-Cylinder
   • 7,428 CC L-Head Inline 6-Cylinder
   • Single Updraft Rolls-Royce Carburetor
   • 148 HP at 2,500 RPM
   • 4-Speed Manual Gearbox
   • Front Solid Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
   • Rear Live Axle with Semi-Elliptical Cantilever Leaf Springs
   • 2-Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes

   Accessed 2026-11-12