Photo: Fantastische Fahrzeuge - Michael Fröhlich
The abdication of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in 1917 brought an end to three centuries of the Romanov Dynasty's rule. After that seminal event, the Bolshevik revolution ensured that Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov would become the first post-imperial prime minister of Russia. In spite of all this commotion, the last Tsar's most prized limousine stood the test of time and here is that very car.
History tells us that Nicholas II of Russia lost too many battles and made some uninspired decisions during his reign, but we'll let historians decide what is good and what is wrong. This being autoevolution, we decided to showcase one of the Tsar's most prized vehicles.
Nicholas was a big fan of Delaunay-Belleville and Mercedes cars. He had so many cars that in 1910 there were 21 drivers (one for each car) and a budget of 126,000 rubles ($1,260,000 adjusted for inflation) to maintain his garage for the year.
Probably the most beloved luxobarge the Tsar ever owned, this 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is now for sale. A classic car dealership from Mettmann, Germany, wants €6.5 million to part ways with it. That's a truckload of money, the equivalent of $7.22 million or £4.72 million at current exchange rates.
A lot of money is being asked for a purple-painted Rolls-Royce, which was owned by the Tsar for a rather brief period of time before being deposed of it and subsequently assassinated in the cellar of a house along with his family. In a way, this Rolls-Royce is a classic car that's been made even more valuable by its famous first owner, not because of the pristine condition of the vehicle.
To make a long story short, after the 1917 revolution the Silver Ghost in the adjacent gallery made its way into the collection of an eccentric American that used the car as an exhibit for Las Vegas' Imperial Casino. Before World War II broke out, John Ringling acquired the car and put it in a nuclear bomb-proof bunker in the basement of a mansion in Germany. Ironic stuff, huh?
The most famous of seven brothers and mastermind behind the Ringling Brothers Circus, John Ringling and his successors took care of Tsar Nicholas II's Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, now in the inventory of Fantastische Fahrzeuge - Michael Fröhlich with 74,881 kilometers (46,528 miles) on the odometer.
The 7,428 cc six-cylinder engine churns out approximately 50 horsepower. It may not be as imposing as Lenin's Kegresse track-converted Silver Ghost, but this purple blast from the past is a collector's wet dream.
Nicholas was a big fan of Delaunay-Belleville and Mercedes cars. He had so many cars that in 1910 there were 21 drivers (one for each car) and a budget of 126,000 rubles ($1,260,000 adjusted for inflation) to maintain his garage for the year.
Probably the most beloved luxobarge the Tsar ever owned, this 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is now for sale. A classic car dealership from Mettmann, Germany, wants €6.5 million to part ways with it. That's a truckload of money, the equivalent of $7.22 million or £4.72 million at current exchange rates.
A lot of money is being asked for a purple-painted Rolls-Royce, which was owned by the Tsar for a rather brief period of time before being deposed of it and subsequently assassinated in the cellar of a house along with his family. In a way, this Rolls-Royce is a classic car that's been made even more valuable by its famous first owner, not because of the pristine condition of the vehicle.
To make a long story short, after the 1917 revolution the Silver Ghost in the adjacent gallery made its way into the collection of an eccentric American that used the car as an exhibit for Las Vegas' Imperial Casino. Before World War II broke out, John Ringling acquired the car and put it in a nuclear bomb-proof bunker in the basement of a mansion in Germany. Ironic stuff, huh?
The most famous of seven brothers and mastermind behind the Ringling Brothers Circus, John Ringling and his successors took care of Tsar Nicholas II's Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, now in the inventory of Fantastische Fahrzeuge - Michael Fröhlich with 74,881 kilometers (46,528 miles) on the odometer.
The 7,428 cc six-cylinder engine churns out approximately 50 horsepower. It may not be as imposing as Lenin's Kegresse track-converted Silver Ghost, but this purple blast from the past is a collector's wet dream.
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