Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

For over a century, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has been recognised among the world’s most celebrated houses of luxury, constantly exceeding the otherworldly expectations of global patrons. An authentic expression of British luxury, each motor car embodies meticulous attention to detail and perfection in craftsmanship.

The ambitions of the marque eclipse the bounds of mere mobility as they enter into the realm of culture, art and lifestyle. Rolls-Royce motor cars are hand built to perfection at the global centre of manufacturing excellence, in South-East England, by masters in their field.

“As patrons increasingly commission a Rolls-Royce for its aesthetic power, they trust in the knowledge that only the finest materials fashioned at the hands of a collective of skilled artisans will produce a motor car that transcends its primary role as a means of conveyance, to become a meaningful and substantive expression of art, design and engineering excellence”, commented Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

A rich and storied history

The turn of the 20th century marked the beginning of an ambitious partnership that would revolutionise the automotive industry. On 4th May 1904, the honourable Charles Rolls, an entrepreneur, and Sir Henry Royce, an accomplished engineer, joined forces during a historic meeting at Midland Hotel, Manchester, under the name of Rolls-Royce Motors.

Brought up in London’s affluent Berkeley Square, Charles Rolls received an exclusive education at Eton, followed by a university degree in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College, Cambridge. By the time he finalised his studies, Rolls was already an avid motorist. He subsequently set up one of the first car dealerships in Britain, with his friend Claude Johnson, who later became the Rolls-Royce General Managing Director.

Unlike Rolls’s privileged upbringing, Henry Royce worked from the age of nine as a telegram boy. He had a natural inclination towards engineering and was keen to make it a full-time occupation. Initially constructing electrical components, Royce improved the bayonet light bulb that is still used today. However, it wasn’t until he perfected a second-hand, two-cylinder French Decauville that the philosophy guiding Rolls- Royce Motor Cars was established: “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”

Despite very different backgrounds, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce shared a passion for engineering and a desire to achieve perfection in automotive manufacturing. The Rolls-Royce dream came true in 1907, when Silver Ghost was crowned ‘The Best Car in the World’ after travelling from London to Glasgow 27 times – a feat unmatched at this time. Earning the marque its legendary reputation, Silver Ghost was subsequently replaced by Phantom I in 1925.

The 1930s marked another timeless achievement for Rolls- Royce as the famous ‘R’ engine broke the world speed record on land, air and sea. It later evolved into the Merlin engine, which powered both the Spitfire and the Hurricane during Wold War II. The same decade also marked the first use of the V12 engine in Rolls- Royce Phantom III.

In the prosperous post-war era, owning a Rolls-Royce came to be associated with success. As such, the motor car often shared the lime light with Hollywood royalty and rock stars and featured in popular films, such as ‘The Yellow Rolls-Royce’. A particularly notable example is John Lennon’s outlandish Phantom V, which remains one of the most valuable items of pop memorabilia ever created.

A new chapter for the marque commenced in the late 1990s when the BMW Group acquisitioned the rights to produce Rolls-Royce motor cars from Rolls-Royce Plc. With the change came a brand new manufacturing facility: the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex. It was here that the history of luxury in

the 21st century would unfold.

The Home of Rolls-Royce

Tucked away in the South Downs National Park and in an area of outstanding natural beauty is the Home of Rolls-Royce. When it was first opened on 1st January 2003, it employed 200 people and produced only one motor car a day. More than a decade later, there are 2,000 designers, engineers and artisans working together to hand build more than 4,000 motor cars every year. This year saw the highest annual sales in the marque’s 115-year history, with 4,107 cars delivered to customers in over 50 countries around the world.

Not without significance, the location of the Home of Rolls- Royce is deeply rooted in the history of the marque. Less than 10 miles away from Goodwood is the charming village of West Wittering, which served as the home of Sir Henry Royce, from 1917 until his death in 1933.

The two-storey manufacturing plant, designed by renowned British architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, is at one with nature.

The 80,000 tonnes of gravel extracted from the site enabled the company to situate the plant two metres below the surrounding ground level. The camouflage effect is further sustained by the sedum-covered living roof, the largest of its kind in the UK. Moreover, the opulent, ‘glass mile’ windows flood the building with natural light, offering visitors a front-row view of the entire production process.

The Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood is the only place in the world where Rolls-Royce motor cars are created. The process involves over 60 pairs of expert hands from a variety of specialist departments. Joining the pinnacle Phantom, the marque also welcomed Ghost (2009), Wraith (2013) and Dawn (2015). Their Black Badge variants particularly bring the Rolls-Royce brand to new, younger audiences that are attracted by its unapologetic attitude. The autumn of 2018 marked yet another milestone achievement for the marque as Cullinan, the first Rolls-Royce allterrain SUV, made its global debut in Wyoming, USA.

The Spirit of Ecstasy

A graceful, feminine presence silently proceeds the road of every Rolls-Royce motor car. The Spirit of Ecstasy represents one of the world’s most famous symbols, a true icon embodying the highest standards of beauty, luxury, style and perfection that are written in the Rolls-Royce DNA.

The circumstances of her genesis blur the boundaries between truth and legend and convey the mystique of her name. In 1909, the British motoring pioneer, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, commissioned sculptor and illustrator Charles Sykes to create a mascot for his Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Rumour has it that Sykes’s muse was the private secretary of Lord Montagu, Eleanor Valesco Thornton. Nevertheless, the sculptor has never publicly divulged his source of inspiration.

Sykes modelled a bronze statuette of a young woman in fluttering robes, whom he named ‘The Whisperer’. The finger that she was elegantly holding to the lips indicated that the figure was the guardian of a secret, which some believe it to be the close relationship between Lord Montagu and Eleanor. Others suggest, more prosaically, that it is a reference to the engine’s quietness.

The Whisperer subsequently inspired other Rolls-Royce owners to create their own ornaments, much to the umbrage of Rolls-Royce General Managing Director, Claude Johnson. These unseemly additions led Johnson to commission an ‘official’ Rolls-Royce mascot that would consolidate the marque’s image. Consequently, Sykes was charged with reinterpreting The Whisperer and with creating the Rolls-Royce muse that we know today, The Spirit of Ecstasy. Her silhouette was also altered, the later version being four inches more petite than the original seven-inch design and made from various materials. In 1934, Sykes created a kneeling adaptation, which graced Silver Wraith and Silver Dawn into the 1950s.

Until 1939, each figurine was individually cast, inscribed and finished by the hands of Charles Sykes and his daughter, Josephine. The original technique of ‘lost wax’ casting dates back over five millennia, whilst modern technology and digital mapping ensure that even the finest details are accurately represented. Each Spirit of Ecstasy figurine is made by filling a mould with molten stainless steel, at an exorbitant 1600°C temperature. As the wax model is melting away, The Flying Lady comes to life. Lastly, the casting is blasted by millions of tiny, stainless steel balls, which help to polish the surface. Each figurine is meticulously finished by hand. Indeed, once the Spirit of Ecstasy acquires her glorious shine, she may take her rightful place above the iconic Rolls-Royce grille.