This 1924 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Springfield Silver Ghost has been given coachwork with a tray back section designed to carry a hot air balloon basket, with the balloon itself folded up inside when not in use.
It harks back to the golden age of hot air ballooning and it was directly inspired by the “Balloon Car” that was owned by Rolls-Royce co-founder and keen hot-air balloonist Charles S. Rolls.
Fast Facts – A Rolls-Royce 40/50 “Balloon Car”
- This 1924 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Springfield Silver Ghost, customized as a “Balloon Car,” features a unique tray-back design to carry a hot air balloon basket, inspired by the original “Balloon Car” owned by Rolls-Royce co-founder Charles S. Rolls, an avid balloonist in the early 20th century.
- Ballooning, the oldest form of human flight, began in 1783 and became popular rapidly. Notable hot air ballooning records include Vijaypat Singhania’s altitude record of 21,027 meters (68,986 feet) in 2005, and Richard Branson’s trans-Pacific flight with Per Lindstrand covering a distance of 7,671.91 kms (4,767.10 miles).
- Originally delivered in Chicago with town-car coachwork, this Silver Ghost was later owned by actor Lionel Atwill. In the late 2000s, it was refurbished with elegant roadster bodywork to match classic H.J. Mulliner designs, enabling it to carry ballooning equipment on the rear tray.
- The car, powered by a 7.4 liter inline-six with twin-plug ignition, is now for sale in Phoenix, Arizona. It includes extensive documentation, recent service invoices, and a clean California title, offering collectors a unique piece combining vintage automotive and aeronautic history.
A History Speedrun: Hot Air Ballooning
Balloons are by far the oldest human-carrying flight technology, with the first documented balloon flight taking place on November 21st, 1783 with Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes in the basket.
This is a photograph of Charles S. Rolls and Hon. Mrs. Assheton Harbord in basket of balloon by Horace Hall. Harbord was the first woman to obtain an Aeronaut’s Certificate in the UK and she would fly across the Channel a number of times.How hot air balloons actually work is so simple a young child can understand it, a balloon is filled with heated air which rises, lifting the balloon and the attached basket, gondola, or capsule, up into the air. Early balloons largely used hydrogen, a lighter-than-air gas that provides better lift than hot air – the downside being that hydrogen is famously explosive.
The altitude of the balloon can be controlled by adjusting the heat of the air in the balloon (or the amount of hydrogen/helium), and some level of simple navigation can be accomplished by balloon pilots increasing or decreasing altitude to find favorable winds that take them in the direction they want to go.
The first balloon flight in the United States would take place on January 9th, 1793 with French balloonist (or aeronaut) Jean-Pierre Blanchard in the basket. The hydrogen balloon launched from the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia and remained in the air for 46 minutes, eventually landing near Woodbury in New Jersey.
The relative safety of hot air balloons compared with the early aircraft developed for heavier-than-air flight (I’m using the term “relative safety” fairly loosely here) meant that they remained popular through the early 20th century. This was when Rolls-Royce co-founder Charles S. Rolls became an avid balloonist.
Sadly, Rolls would be killed in an aircraft accident, though it wasn’t balloon related. He had taken an interest in fixed wing planes and he was killed when the tail end of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display in Bournemouth, England in 1910.
Although hot air balloons have now been far surpassed in popularity by their heavier-than-air counterparts, many new records are still being set. Vijaypat Singhania set the hot air balloon altitude record in 2005 at an altitude of 21,027 meters (68,986 feet) flying out of downtown Mumbai, India.
Here we see Charles S. Rolls in one of his own creations, with the balloon basket on the back under a cover.Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand still hold the record for the longest flight in a hot air balloon, flying from Japan to Northern Canada for a total distance of 7,671.91 kms (4,767.10 miles). During this flight they also recorded the fastest ground speed for a manned balloon at 394 km/h (245 mph).
Modern hot air balloons use modern materials for safety and longevity, including fire-resistant Nomex and various forms of nylon. Wicker baskets remain common for the sake of tradition, and most use liquid propane as fuel.
The 1924 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Balloon Car Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is a 1924 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Springfield Silver Ghost that was originally finished with Mayfair town-car coachwork when it was delivered new in Chicago on October 24th, 1924.
Eight years later the car would be bought by famed horror film star Lionel Atwill in Los Angeles, California. It then seemingly disappeared for many years, reappearing in 1969 now wearing replacement touring coachwork.
By the late 2000s the car had once again been refurbished, and it was now fitted with the elegant “balloon car” roadster bodywork you see it wearing today, in the style of the classic H.J. Mulliner designs.
This bodywork allows the hot air balloon wicker basket to be carried on the back, and the balloon itself can be folded up and kept inside for safe keeping.
This 1924 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost has been given period-correct coachwork in the classic “Balloon Car” style initially made famous by Charles S. Rolls.The car is powered by a 7.4 liter L-head inline-six with a single updraft carburetor and a twin-plug ignition. Power is sent back through a 4-speed manual transmission and the vehicle is fitted with mechanical rear drum brakes, leaf springs, wire wheels, a white convertible top, and a Red leather interior.
This unusual Rolls-Royce is now being offered for sale out of Phoenix, Arizona on Bring a Trailer. It comes with copies of its Schoellkopf cards, invoices dating back to 2018, and a clean California title. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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