Classic Car Overview
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! H