Rolls-Royce’s 119-year-old history is filled with ingenuity, innovation and opulence
Henry Royce spent two decades creating all manner of mechanical and electrical inventions before deciding to focus his energy on the automobile in 1904. The English engineer was convinced he could build far finer cars than those being built on the other side of the Channel in France, and was able to persuade his fellow countryman (and aristocrat) Charles Rolls he could do so. Two years later, in 1906, the duo partnered to launch Rolls-Royce and the rest is automotive history.
The British marque’s storied history is as fascinating as it is lengthy, rife with incredible moments of ingenuity, innovation, and pure opulence stretching from its beginnings to the present day. Below are 24 of the most interesting facts from the marque’s 119-year history.
The first Rolls had 10 horsepower
Royce’s first creation, which made its debut in 1904, had a 1.8-liter two-cylinder that delivered 10 horsepower. The aptly named Royce 10 featured a three-bearing crank and twin camshafts that actuated the side exhaust and overhead valves. To get everything hauling, that mill was mated to a three-speed manual transmission.
The model for The Spirit of Ecstasy was shrouded in scandal
Rolls-Royce’s now iconic hood ornament, The Spirit of Ecstasy, debuted in 1911. It was commissioned by car collector Baron John Edward Scott-Montagu, who based the figure’s likeness on his secretary-turned-mistress, believed to be Eleanor Thornton. Earlier iterations of the sculpture have her finger pressed against her lips, reportedly a wink at their decade-long affair. Thornton perished at sea in 1915, en route to India, when a German U-boat sunk the ship she was traveling on. The sculptor of the statuette, Charles Sykes, adopted and evolved the design for Rolls-Royce, and it’s been employed ever since.
The Spirit of Ecstasy never had wings
Rolls-Royce’s hood ornament has been around nearly since the beginning and has been reworked around a dozen times, though still might be the most enduringly recognisable part of the brand. At first glance, it almost even looks like it has wings — a figure in flight, perhaps, to symbolise speed. But those aren’t wings, in fact, but flowing robes, according to Rolls-Royce, which redesigned the symbol in 2022 to be more aerodynamic. “Previously,” Rolls-Royce said then, “She has stood with her feet together, legs straight and tilting at the waist. Now, she is a true goddess of speed, braced for the wind, one leg forward, body tucked low, her eyes focused eagerly ahead.”
BMW shelled out tens of millions for the rights to the ornament
When BMW bought Rolls-Royce from Volkswagen back in 2002, the rights to The Spirit of Ecstasy were held by Volkswagen. Subsequently, Volkswagen requested US$40 million to transfer ownership to BMW, which agreed to the terms and paid the sizeable sum.
The EU banned the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy
The Spirit of Ecstasy may be the most famous hood ornament in automotive history. Because of that, Rolls-Royce hasn’t changed it much since it was first introduced. That is, until 2016, when the marque started offering the option of an illuminated ornament. If that sounds sacrilegious to you, you’re not alone. The lit-up Spirit of Ecstasy has since been banned in the EU. Is it because the government body is made up of automotive purists? It might be, but the official reason is that the illuminated ornament creates too much light pollution.
Over 60 per cent of all Rolls-Royces are still on the road
Rolls-Royce has always focused on crafting durable, enduring vehicles. The commitment to superior build quality has translated into a startling fact: At least 65 per cent of all Rolls-Royce cars ever to emerge from the production line are still operational and on the roads today.
Rolls-Royce once made a .50 caliber machine gun
And it was rather revolutionary for its time. During World War II, the head of the Rolls-Royce engineering team, Dr. Spirito Mario Viale, sought to improve the efficacy of the staple machine gun, the Browning M2. The Rolls-Royce .50 cal featured a locked breech, in lieu of the typical gas mechanism, and it fired at double the rate of the M2 and weighed more than 40 per cent less. However, it jammed often and generated too much muzzle flash, so it never supplanted the Browning as the choice gun. One example is still known to exist, housed in the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, England.
A Rolls-Royce engine helped begin the 483 km/hr club
Last year, Bugatti set the automotive world aflutter when its Chiron hypercar, piloted by Andy Wallace, hit 490.5 km/hr. However, Rolls-Royce got to that enchanting speed first. Its 2,300 horsepower, 36.7-litre supercharged Rolls-Royce V-12 engines were known for blistering performance and staggering speed back in the 1930s. Indeed, the speed record was set in 1933 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, hitting 438.5 km/hr in the Campbell-Railton Blue Bird, powered by a Rolls-Royce V-12. In 1935, Campbell took the rudimentary land rocket to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and recorded a run of 484.9 km/hr.
The brand’s plane engines were so powerful the exhaust alone bolstered top speed
Rolls-Royce was equally proficient in manufacturing prolific aviation engines, including the 27-litre Spitfire Merlin V-12, created in 1933. This engine generated such powerful thrust from the exhaust that when engineers simply angled the exhaust outlet backward, the Spitfire gained 16 km/hr.
Rolls-Royce’s electric plane is the world’s fastest EV
Rolls-Royce’s automobile and airplane divisions were spun off from one other in the early 1970s and now have separate owners. The two companies still share the same name, though, along with the same hunger for excellence. Just look at the electric plane the non-carmaking Rolls-Royce announced a couple years back. The battery-powered aircraft recently hit a top speed of 622.8 km/hr in testing, making it not just the fastest electric plane but the fastest electric vehicle, period.
You could only get a Phantom IV if you were a royal
As Rolls-Royce gained a deserved reputation for elegance throughout the 1930s and 1940s, it became the only choice for the world’s elite. This notion further solidified in 1950 when the British royal family parted ways with Daimler to select Rolls-Royce as its preferred car manufacturer. Then-Princess Elizabeth was the first to receive a Phantom IV, which became a model only designed for the royals and other heads of state. A mere 18 Phantom IV models were produced, making it among the rarest of the Rolls-Royce’s ever.
You can send your chauffeur to a Rolls-Royce driving school
The coveted seats in any Rolls-Royce are in the back and, accordingly, many owners opt for drivers. But for the most comfortable experience, they may want to consider splurging on Rolls-Royce’s White Glove training programme. The curriculum trains drivers on how to open and close doors without leaving fingerprints, how to brake without moving the passengers’ heads, and how to read and drive a road for optimal smoothness.