Morning jaunt in vintage Rolls a dream come true> Silver Ghost Club turns back clock at Owls Head

OWLS HEAD — It’s not the worst job in the world.

On one sunny and perfect morning in early June, I got to drive a 1914 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost convertible. Its owner, Roger Morrison, did not even want to discuss what the vehicle was worth. Probably more than my house, car, bank account and estimated earnings for the last decade.

“It’s not about money,” said Morrison, who traveled all the way from Salina, Kansas, to attend a meeting of the Silver Ghost Club, held at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. “It’s about quality.”

The elegant car is started by crank after pumping up the gas pressure by hand and setting the spark, throttle and some other gadgets in the middle of the steering wheel. Even to motor morons, the sound of a Rolls Royce engine is a thing of beauty. I couldn’t believe my ears when Morrison asked me if I wanted to drive it. (Good Lord. Would I like to dance with Julia Roberts?) We started down the museum’s long driveway.

The steering is precise, but incredibly stiff. Morrison told me the 1914 vehicle would do 80 mph if it had to. Then he told me to stop before I got to the highway. He saw the gleam in my eye.

Then he took over.

The real test of a quality touring car is the ability to start in high gear, Morrison said. He put the car in fourth gear then gradually raised the clutch. The engine lowered, almost died but recovered, and the car pulled ahead easily. This, in a car 76 years old. Try that in your Chevrolet Caprice.

The Silver Ghost models were built from 1907-1926. Probably 8,000 were built in England and in the United States at a plant in Springfield, Mass.

When the Ghosts get together for a meet, there is nothing tacky like competition or judging. “We want to keep it low key and fun, ” Morrison said. “The emphasis is on driving, history and friendship.”

A few of the elegant touring cars were actually driven on highways to the meet. But others like Morrison had the cars shipped to a destination near the meeting site. The extreme pleasure of driving the Rolls is limited to 100 miles or so. At the June meet, owners and their cars came from Ohio, Iowa, Washington, Kansas, even England and New Zealand.

Some of the vehicles have been restored from baskets of parts; others were bought in good condition. Morrison is no mechanic, so he bought one in driving condition. Please do not ask what he paid. If you have to ask, you probably cannot afford it.

The Kansas resident got addicted after a tour in England when he rode in a vintage Rolls. When he got home, he went car shopping.

“Members don’t buy (a Rolls) to make money,” Morrison said. “They buy the vehicle to have it, like a piece of fine furniture. It is more for the enjoyment than for financial gain.”

Every Ghost is different. In those days, the Rolls factory built the motor, chassis and drive train. The body was usually fashioned by a carriage company, making the transition from horse-drawn vehicles.

The early cars were never the fastest or even the most expensive. But they were always the most dependable. The Rolls factory got started making huge electric cranes. So the electrical systems in cars were child’s play. Most of the vintage Rolls cars have original electrical parts.

Then the interview was over. I had to climb back into my battered 1984 Honda Accord, with 140,000 miles. It looked worse than ever.

No job is perfect.