GOODWOOD based Rolls-Royce has produced a limited edition named Phantom Silver to celebrate the centenary of the Silver Ghost.

The special model, of which only 25 will be made, pays homage to one of the most famous automotive names of all time. Phantom Silver carries a £22,000 premium over the standard Phantom price of £219,975.

First built in 1906, specifically to publicise the then new Rolls-Royce 40/50hp six-cylinder model, the Silver Ghost established the Rolls-Royce reputation for reliability and engineering excellence.

The name was coined in 1907 by Rolls-Royce managing director Claude Johnson by virtue of its silver coachwork and its extraordinary stealthiness'.

The original Silver Ghost, registered AX-201, competed in the 1907 Scottish Reliability Trial, for which it won the gold medal in its class for hill climbing speed and reliability. The Silver Ghost went on in that year to break the world record for a non-stop motor run, covering a London to Glasgow route 27 times, totalling 14,371 miles.

More than 6,000 Silver Ghosts were built between 1907 and 1925, and sold in every corner of the world. The majority are still in good running order. In tribute to the specifications of the original, the Phantom Silver is finished in a new bespoke paint, Metallic Ghost Silver.

The 21-inch wheels have chrome centres and on top of the grille sits a hallmarked solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy.

Inside, Rose Leaf or Creme Light leather is accompanied by seat piping and headrests embroidered with the Rolls-Royce interlinked RR badge.

Straight-grained Santos Palissander wood veneer is used throughout. The same veneer is also used on a specially designed presentation box that houses the key, two solid silver key fobs and a specially commissioned solid silver Conway Stewart fountain pen.

l 805 Rolls-Royce cars were retailed to over 50 countries around the world last year, the highest number for 16 years. It was the third successive year of growth for the company.