Pawel Litwinski
Auctions: The Spirit of Giving
August 1, 2007
Earlier this year, real estate
developer Richard J. Solove purchased a 1908 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost—one of
four in existence—and achieved a longtime goal. His collection now featured one
Silver Ghost built during each year between 1907 and 1915. "It’s an incredible
accomplishment," says David Gooding, president of the Gooding & Company
auction house. "Never been done."; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The 1910 Balloon Roadster. Photograph courtesy of Pawel Litwinski on behalf of Gooding & Company. (Click image to enlarge)
Solove bought his first Rolls-Royce—a 1931 Phantom II—nearly 35 years ago.
But after joining the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club (RROC), he discovered the
marque’s early models. "I found that my real
interest was in the pre-World War I Rolls-Royces," Solove says. "I started
looking for my first Silver Ghost, and it was a labor of love. It’s not easy to
find the car you want."
Top: The Solove collection’s 1909 Roi-des-Belges Tourer. Bottom: One of four 1908 Silver Ghosts in existence. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
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His search for unusual examples has taken Solove around the
world, and he has sometimes indulged in unorthodox acquisition techniques. A few
decades ago, for example, Solove virtually smuggled the 1913 ex-Maharajah of
Bhupinder Singh tourer out of India because laws banned the export of antique
automobiles. "I had the car put in running shape and driven through Kashmir into
Pakistan," he explains. "It’s an open border, you know. And then 900 miles down
to Karachi, where it was shipped around the Cape of Good Hope to England for a
restoration." Solove notes that four years passed between the initial purchase
and the car’s stateside arrival.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Richard J. Solove. (Click image to enlarge)
Other highlights in the Solove collection include the oldest
Silver Ghost—a 1907 model with limousine coachwork by Rippon—and a silver 1909
Roi-des-Belges tourer by Barker that closely resembles the iconic Silver Ghost
owned by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. "They’re all in absolutely wonderful
condition," he says. "I’ve spent a lot of time and effort to attain great
detail. They’re all authentic."
This August, during the Gooding & Company auction at Pebble
Beach, Solove will part with his hard-won Silver Ghosts. All nine will go under
the hammer, with the proceeds—estimated between $8 million and $10 million—given
to the cancer program at Ohio State University. "All the money I take in—every
dime—will go to the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital," he says. "I don’t want to
be the richest man in the cemetery." The largesse impresses Gooding, who says,
"It’s not as if he’s only donating a small percentage of the sale, 5 percent or
10 percent. He is being extraordinarily generous to a worthy charity."
Gooding & Company
www.goodingco.com
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