|
England is famous for being one of the last bastions of royalty and aristocratic culture. Perhaps the most famous English status symbol is the Rolls-Royce. Founded 100 years ago, the Rolls-Royce company remains a timeless icon of prestige and luxury.
Rolls and Royce: the founding fathers
Henry Royce was the owner of a small electrical components company while Charles Rolls ran a car sales business. Henry Edmunds, a director at Royce's company, arranged for the two men to meet. The rest is history. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars made their debut at the 1904 Paris Motor Show. Soon, Royce went to America to research its potential as a market. There, he met the Wright brothers and began to market Royce's aircraft engines under the Rolls-Royce name. The Silver Ghost was launched in 1906. In 1910, Charles Rolls became the first Englishman to die in an airplane accident and Royce took complete charge of the company.
|
| Rolls was killed in an airplane accident. |
100,000 Rolls-Royces
The first generation of the legendary Phantom series made its debut in 1925. In 1931, Rolls-Royce joined forces with Bentley. In 1938, a new factory was opened in Crewe to make engines for fighter aircraft and torpedoes during World War II. After the war, the factory began to produce automobiles. The new generation Silver Wraith was followed in 1949 by the compact class Silver Dawn. In 1950, a total of 18 Phantom IV automobiles were built for royalty and heads of state. Struggling against recession, the company went into receivership in 1971. The company was split into two units (automobile and aeronautical operations) and was bought by Vickers in 1973. In 1985, the Silver Spur Centenary became the 100,000th Rolls-Royce.
An alliance between Germany and England
One of the main reasons behind the economic problems faced by English automobile manufacturers in the late 20th century was their strict adherence to tradition and unwillingness to change. Roll-Royce's biggest mistake was thinking that its local market was enough to sustain the company. The strength of the pound, high production costs and a large work force meant that Rolls-Royce was headed for disaster. However, the giants of the German automobile industry were quick to take the struggling English manufacturers under their wings and nurse them back to life. The first company to do so was BMW, who bought MG Rover and Land Rover. Soon, BMW and the VW Group were battling it out over Rolls-Royce. In the end, the VW Group purchased the Bentley brand while Rolls-Royce that symbol of English luxury and aristocracy"became a part of BMW, a quintessentially German brand.
| Helpful hints... |
| Rolls-Royce finally lifted the veil of secrecy surrounding the 5.8 metre-long Phantom when it was unveiled at the 2003 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Production of the Phantom began in January last year at the Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood. 500 Phantoms have been sold to date. |
|
|
