The extraordinary travels of a 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost now visiting Martinborough

Some Martinborough residents who were at the Martinborough Brewery just before Christmas when John and Rae Kennedy pulled in to sample the local craft beer will be familiar with their magnificent 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The car created much interest and several were lucky enough to be taken for a drive by John. The Kennedys are ex-pat New Zealanders who reside in England. They come to their Martinborough home for most of the summer. The Wairarapa is an ideal place to live for vintage car enthusiasts being home to veteran, vintage and classic car clubs.

Seeing the film, Genevieve, about a beautiful old car taking part in the London to Brighton veteran car rally aroused the young John Kennedy’s interest in vintage cars. Shortly after, Genevieve was sold to a New Zealander. John, brought up on a Waikato dairy farm, saw the car in a display of historic vehicles at an A&P Show. A passion for vintage cars was ignited.
Following several serendipitous encounters, John became the owner of his car in the 1980s. It participated in the 1913 Austrian Alpine Contest driven by Mr James Radley, the first owner who also built the touring coachwork on the car.

When John purchased the car, it was being dismantled. He decided to restore the car to its original specifications – engine as well as coachwork right down to the detail of the car’s colour. Restored by 1993, the car toured extensively in the UK and Europe.

In 2013 John decided to drive the exact route from London to Vienna followed by James Radley in 1913.

Fortuitously James Radley had taken a friend Reginald Hooton Hope, an amateur photographer, on the Rally with him. Hope photographed the journey from London to Vienna. John, a keen photographer himself, had access to Hope’s photo album. After extensive research with the uncaptioned photographs he was able to retake them in the same locations where James Radley stopped on his journey to Vienna 100 years earlier.
John has produced an account of both journeys in a book titled Mr Radley Drives To Vienna. It is a handsome and fascinating book. John’s Silver Ghost Rolls-Royce is the only surviving original Works Special Alpine model.
John is speaking to Martinborough Lions in March. Readers can contact John about the car or book on (06) 306 8228