AX 201: TEN THINGS YOU MAY (OR MAY NOT) KNOW
This is, quite simply, the most instantly recognisable Rolls-Royce in the world. It’s the car that led to the 40/50hp becoming generically known as the Silver Ghost, and it’s the machine that first gave Rolls-Royce its reputation as builder of The Best Car in the World. It is, of course, AX 201 – the silver sensation that we paid tribute to in our Sept/Oct 2021 issue, with our in-depth feature of the time highlighting the endurance feats that placed the car well and truly on the automotive map.
As marque enthusiasts, we’re all familiar with AX 201, its success in the Scottish Reliability Trials and its subsequent 15,000-mile endurance run – a record-breaking achievement that guaranteed its place in the history books. Over the next few pages, however, we take a look at what are perhaps some of the lesser-known facts about this unique Rolls-Royce.
ITS ONE ‘FAILURE TO PROCEED’ MOMENT IN 1907 WAS CAUSED BY DRIVER ERROR
AX 201 was on its way to break the world record for non-stop mileage set a few: “A distance of 15,021 miles (revised officially to 14,371 miles) was run but a single involuntary stop to turn on the petrol tap, which act had been forgotten.”
