Rolls-Royce Phantom I

Rolls-Royce Phantom I
Springfield MA Phantom limousine 1927
Overview
Manufacturer	Rolls-Royce Ltd
Also called	40/50 Phantom
Production	1925–1931 3512 produced
Assembly	Derby, England Springfield, Massachusetts
Body and chassis
Class	Luxury car
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout
Powertrain
Engine	7,668 cc (468 cu in) I6
Transmission	3-speed manual 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	143½ in (3644.9 mm) US LWB: 146½ in (3721.1 mm) UK LWB: 150½ (3822.7 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor	Silver Ghost
Successor	Phantom II

The Phantom was Rolls-Royce's replacement for the original Silver Ghost. Introduced as the New Phantom in 1925, the Phantom had a larger engine than the Silver Ghost and used pushrod-operated overhead valves instead of the Silver Ghost's side valves. The Phantom was built in Derby in England and in Springfield, Massachusetts in the United States. There were several differences in specification between the English and American Phantoms. The Phantom was replaced by the Phantom II in 1929, at which point it was called the Phantom I.

Introduced in 1925, the Phantom I was Rolls-Royce's second 40/50 hp model. To differentiate between the 40/50 hp models, Rolls-Royce named the new model "New Phantom" and renamed the old model "Silver Ghost", which was the name given to their demonstration example, Registration No. AX201. When the New Phantom was replaced by another 40/50 hp model in 1929, the replacement was named Phantom II and the New Phantom was renamed Phantom I.

One major improvement over the Silver Ghost was the new pushrod-OHV straight-6 engine. Constructed as two groups of three cylinders with a single detachable head, the engine was described by Rolls-Royce as producing "sufficient" power. The engine used a 4¼ in (107.9 mm) bore and undersquare 5½ in (139.7 mm) stroke for a total of 7.7 L (7,668 cc (467.9 cu in)) of displacement. In 1928, the cylinder heads were upgraded from cast iron to aluminium; this caused corrosion problems. The separate gearbox connected through a rubberised fabric flexible coupling to the clutch and through a torque tube enclosed drive to the differential at rear, as in the Silver Ghost.

The New Phantom used the same frame as the Silver Ghost, with semi-elliptical springs suspending the front axle and cantilever springs suspending the rear axle. 4-wheel brakes with a servo-assistance system licensed from Hispano-Suiza were also specified, though some early US models lacked front brakes.