An enduring icon
When Henry Royce was designing the first Rolls‑Royce, a friend advised him to "turn out a reliable car at a low price". But Royce had other ideas. He sought to turn out "the best motor car in the world regardless of cost". More than 100 years later, that same desire for perfection is the driving force behind Rolls‑Royce Motor Cars. Since 1904, we've created instantly recognisable motor cars that have made the marque an icon all over the world.
How Rolls Met Royce
With a shared ambition to make the future of motoring extraordinary, the Honourable Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce joined forces in 1904. Despite being from very different backgrounds, the founders of Rolls‑Royce Motor Cars formed an unlikely partnership-- one forged from a shared passion for engineering and a desire to create the Best Car in the World.
In 1903 Rolls broke the land speed record
Born in 1877 in London's affluent Berkeley Square, Charles Stewart Rolls was the third son of Lord and Lady Llangattock. After school at Eton, Rolls studied mechanical engineering at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was the first undergraduate to own a motor car. Having gained a reputation for tinkering with engines, Rolls earned himself the nicknames 'Dirty Rolls' and 'Petrolls'.
By the time he left university, Rolls was already an accomplished motorist. In 1903, he broke the world land speed record in Dublin driving a 30hp Mors at nearly 83mph. But because the timing equipment was not approved, the governing body refused to acknowledge his accomplishment.
To fund his sporting activities, Rolls set up one of the first car dealerships in Britain with his friend Claude Johnson: CS Rolls & Co. Together they imported and sold Peugeot motor cars from France and Minerva motor cars from Belgium.
An instinctive desire for perfection
In contrast to Rolls, who had had a privileged upbringing, Henry Royce was working by the age of nine. Born in 1863 in Peterborough, England, Royce sold newspapers and worked as a telegram boy before his fortunes changed.
At 14 years old, one of Royce's aunts paid for him to begin an apprenticeship with Great Northern Railway Works. Working under one of the outstanding engineers of the day, Royce took every opportunity to educate himself, spending his evenings studying algebra, French and electrical engineering. With a natural talent for engineering, Royce landed a job with the Electric Light and Power Company.
Royce's true ambition was to make engineering his full-time job. He started a business with his fellow engineer friend, Ernest Claremont-- working around the clock to make electrical components such as doorbells and dynamos. It was during this time that Royce patented improvements to the bayonet light bulb that are still in use today.
It wasn't until he bought a second-hand two-cylinder French Decauville that Royce became interested in building motor cars. He had an instinctive desire for perfection and an innate work ethic that later became a pillar of Rolls‑Royce philosophy: "Take the best that exists and make it better.".
Having found construction faults in the French Decauville, Royce vowed to do better. By the end of 1903, he had designed and built his first petrol engine-- and in April 1904, he drove his first Royce 10hp motor car into town.
The 'hyphen' in Rolls‑Royce.
Henry Edmunds, a shareholder in Royce's company and a friend of Rolls, was boasting to him about his new 10hp Royce motor car. At the time, Rolls was frustrated at only being able to sell foreign imports, so Edmunds arranged a meeting with the man behind the 10hp.
Little did Edmunds know that the meeting he organised would change the future of motoring forever.
Rolls and Royce first met on 4 May 1904 in Manchester. Within minutes of seeing Royce's twin-cylinder 10hp, Rolls knew he had found what he was looking for. After taking the motor car for a drive, Rolls agreed on the spot to sell as many motor cars as Royce could build, under the name Rolls‑Royce.
Creating a brand requires vision. So while Rolls and Royce were busy building and selling motor cars, it was Rolls' partner, Claude Johnson, who stepped into the role of Managing Director and expanded the fledgling company's reputation. A genius at publicity, Claude Johnson was so integral to the success of the company that he became known as 'the hyphen in Rolls‑Royce'.
One of Johnson's early adverts for the 40/50hp motor car promoted it as: 'The six-cylinder Rolls‑Royce-- not one of the best, but the Best Car in the World.' In that moment, he had introduced the phrase that would forever be associated with Rolls‑Royce.
Johnson's decision to orchestrate a series of publicity stunts to promote the quietness and reliability of Rolls‑Royce motor cars was incredibly effective. It demonstrated their superior performance and created global exposure for their world-class engineering. The rest is history.
A century of perfection.
The turn of the 20th century marked the beginning of an extraordinary partnership between two of the most innovative minds of the moment. Henry Royce, a successful engineer and Charles Rolls, owner of one of the UK's first motor car dealerships, agreed to sell motor cars under the name Rolls‑Royce.
At that moment, a new company was born: Rolls‑Royce.
The Best Motor Car in the World.
Just three years on from that seminal moment, Rolls‑Royce produced the 1907 Silver Ghost, the motor car that founded the marque's legendary status.
After faultlessly completing the 1913 Alpine Trial-- a 14,371-mile drive through some of the toughest mountain terrain-- the Silver Ghost had demonstrated such a level of comfort and reliability that critics named it 'The Best Car in the World'.
1930s.
In the 1930s, Rolls‑Royce broke world records on land and sea. And automation saw the arrival of Phantom III-- the first ever Rolls‑Royce to be built with a V12 engine.
1940s.
The 1940s saw new developments in craftsmanship and design. Until 1959, each Silver Wraith had an individual, coach-built body.
1950s.
The 1950s marked the start of a long-standing relationship between Rolls‑Royce and the royal family.
1960s.
By the time the Swinging Sixties began, Rolls‑Royce had begun to appeal to a new breed of owner. Actors, rock stars and celebrities chose the marque as a symbol of their success.
1970s.
The 1970s was a challenging decade for Rolls‑Royce but, following re-launch as two separate companies, the decade saw the arrival of two exciting new motor cars.
1980s.
By 1980, British defence company Vickers had bought Rolls‑Royce Motors Limited, producing Rolls‑Royce alongside Bentley motor cars. The new Rolls‑Royce Motor Cars Limited was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1985.
1990s.
The 1990s marked a new chapter in the marque's history when the BMW Group bought the rights to produce Rolls‑Royce motor cars. With the change came a brand new manufacturing facility: the Home of Rolls‑Royce at Goodwood. It was here that an exciting new chapter would begin.
the graceful goddess.
Mystery has always surrounded the Rolls‑Royce Spirit Of Ecstasy. Commissioned by the second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, she is believed to be modelled upon Eleanor Velasco Thornton-- secretary to the motoring pioneer.
Originally known as The Whisper, the figurine depicts a young woman with a finger to her lips-- seeming to wish to hide their relationship-- and giving birth to one of the most recognisable icons of all time.
A living organism of superb grace.
It was Managing Director of Rolls‑Royce Claude Johnson who commissioned his good friend, the artist and sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes, to create the Spirit of Ecstasy. His brief was to design a mascot that conveyed the spirit of Rolls‑Royce-- speed with silence, absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy and a living organism of superb grace.
The result was the Spirit of Ecstasy, which became a standard fitting on all Rolls‑Royce motor cars from 1920 onwards. Sykes described his creation as "a graceful little goddess ... who has selected road travel as her supreme delight".
Eleanor Velasco Thornton was a regular muse for Sykes. His daughter Josephine described her as an inspirational woman: "She hated clothes-- she needed to live with people who were free in their ideas. She loved life. She was an amazing woman and she definitely had quite an influence on my father's work.".
The story of the Edwardian love affair between Lord Montagu and Eleanor Velasco Thornton ended ultimately in tragedy. In 1915, while accompanying him on a voyage to India on the SS Persia, their ship was torpedoed in the Mediterranean and sank. Lord Montagu was rescued but Eleanor lost her life, and her body was never found.
But was she the original inspiration for the Spirit of Ecstasy? Ultimately, no one will ever know. Charles Sykes never spoke publicly about the matter and, when asked many years later, his daughter is reported to have replied: "It is an interesting story and if it makes people happy, let the myth prevail.".
No two are alike.
The 'lost wax process'-- a casting technique developed during ancient Egyptian and Chinese civilizations-- is used to create each Spirit of Ecstasy. It's a lengthy process: one figurine takes at least a week to produce. Until 1939, Charles Sykes and his daughter Josephine cast each statuette personally. And, as with any piece of art, he signed each one himself (until 1951).
To this day, the Spirit of Ecstasy is an original work of art. Every statuette is polished and finished by hand, so no two are alike. Over her lifetime, she has subtly changed shape and size several times. In 2003, the myth of whether or not the Spirit of Ecstasy was inspired by Eleanor Velasco Thornton became a reality.
To coincide with the introduction of the latest Phantom, our Design team went to extraordinary lengths to create a 21st century incarnation of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Using computer technology, the team digitally remapped old photographs of Eleanor Velasco Thornton to restore the finest details and to enhance her delicate features.
With the introduction of Wraith, the gradual evolution of the Spirit of Ecstasy continued. Angled further forward by a few degrees, she has a more determined look that complements the car's power, style and drama.
One hundred years later, the Spirit of Ecstasy is as distinctive and recognisable as on the day she was first unveiled.