For years, Rolls-Royce automobiles
have set the watermark for all other cars. From the very first year
Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce started building
cars, they were internationally recognized for being engineering
masterminds.
However, building cars was not
their first business attempt. At the turn of the 20th century, Rolls
and Royce were building generators in a modest workshop hidden away
from the limelight. The Rolls-Royce generators were known well in
many trades as being the best-built generators. But quality came at a
price. Few people bought these generators simply because they were
too expensive even though they lasted far longer than the cheaper
ones.
Then one day, Royce had an idea
that would be famous. He thought that he might be able to build a
better car. It is said that the car that Royce had was a piece of
junk that was always breaking down. Royce built the first car in
1904. It was such a huge success that he and Rolls could not build
them fast enough, seeing as how all of the cars were all built by
hand.
The Rolls-Royce Motor Company
was formed in 1906 and in May of that year the first Silver Ghost was
made. It is said that the first two years of Silver Ghosts that were
made all by hand were perfect. The cars were practically silent
compared to the similar cars of the day. The cars were also known for
lasting an extremely long time.
A 1907 Silver Ghost was used in
a 15,000 mile endurance race with the other modern cars of the day.
The car not only won the race, but needed only $10 in repairs at the
end of the race. The same car then went on a tour of England to
promote Silver Ghosts. The car is now in the ownership of Rolls-Royce
and is said now to be the most valuable car in the world. It is
valued at $50 million but would never sell for that little.
In 1914 their attention shifted
to the First World War. Royce then developed his first airplane
engine. Like the cars, these engines were known for quality. The
engine he designed was so good that it supplied over half of the
horsepower used in airplanes in the RAF in that war. His engine was
also used on the first Trans-Atlantic flight.
They continued to make the
famous Silver Ghosts through 1925. However, since all of these cars
were still produced by hand, they were not cheap. In 1925 a new
Silver Ghost cost $7,000.
Starting in 1926, Rolls-Royce
starting to change their ways and started to make the famous Phantom
series. These cars were still well known, but not quite as desirable
as the revered Silver Ghosts. They wanted to stay with the Silver
Ghost style, but they were simply becoming out dated. They forced to
modernize and create a car that could once again compete with modern,
cheaper cars. Phantoms soon became synonymous with chauffeurs. With
the seat for the driver well separated from the passenger seat, the
passengers never had to associate themselves with their drivers. The
Phantoms were produced until 1954 and only 1,675 were made.
But yet again in April of 1955,
Rolls-Royce was forced to change their best selling cars. It was in
this year when they released the totally redesigned Silver Cloud I.
These cars once again defined Rolls-Royce and set the mark for all
other cars to strive to reach. These new cars had rather famous tool
kits as well. All of the first Silver Ghosts had tool kits that came
standard with the car. This kit contained every tool that would ever
be needed to fix anything on the car. It is even said that company
officials tested every one of the tools to find out just how long
they would last before they would last. The Silver Cloud I was
produced from 1955-1959 and only 2,360 were made.
In 1959, Rolls-Royce was forced
to upgrade their automobiles once again. This time is was because of
power. Although the Silver Cloud I had a timeless body style, it was
severely under powered and that was its main drawback. So when the
Silver Cloud II was introduced, and V8 engine was added that more
than took care of the competition. All of these cars were still made
by hand and took about three months each to build. The famous hood
ornament was one of the things that made Rolls-Royce so famous. It is
called the Spirit of Ecstasy and several men spent three hours
polishing these hood ornaments when the cars were new. The Silver
Cloud II was built from 1959-1962 and 2,717 were made.
The main changes in the Silver
Cloud III were simply cosmetic. Double headlights were added because
the safety of such small headlights on previous models were
questioned. The cars were still made of the finest materials however.
Genuine walnut, leather, and Wilton carpeting were still standard.
Rolls-Royce bragged that the Silver Cloud's were treated with 12
coats of paint and had the thickest chrome on any car in the world.
Luxury proved not to be cheap once again. In 1965, $8,000 could buy a
large house, 11 Austin Minis, 8 Triumph Heralds, or a Silver Cloud
III. The Silver Cloud III was built from 1962-1966 and 2,809 were
made.
For several years, Rolls-Royce
did not deliver any new, ground-breaking models. They did make
several successful advancements in their cars though. Such things as
a redesigned front suspension and more responsive steering made the
car easier to handle. The wheelbase was also extended adding 4 inches
of legroom in the rear seat. One of the most significant advances
however, were 5 mile per hour bumpers. Previously, the smallest
collision did hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage. But by
making the front bumper so that it could slide under the trademark
radiator saved many people inflated repair bills. With so many
changes coming all at once, Rolls-Royce figured they should come out
with a new line. They called it the Silver Wraith II. It was based
upon the rather unsuccessful Silver Wraith I. They were only made
from 1977-1980, but were Rolls-Royce main car for those years.
For the next decade,
Rolls-Royce continued to produce quality cars at a rather expensive
cost. But none of these cars ever made much of a splash in the
international markets. The cars were not lesser in quality, but
Rolls-Royce felt increased pressure from such companies as BMW and
Mercedes. Rolls-Royce make such cars as the Corniche I, II, and III.
They also made the Silver Spirit I, II, III and the Silver Spur I,
II, III. The main changes in these cars were merely the latest
technological advances and safety features.
Even though it is clear that
Rolls-Royce's heyday is over, they are not going quietly. Just this
year, they unveiled the "New" Corniche and started producing them
this year. Luxury and power are the main emphases on these new
"wonder" cars. They added a new BMW V-8 that greatly increased
horsepower and torque. The drawback of this larger engine is
obviously the weight. But the added power more that takes care of the
additional weight.
Rolls-Royce is always looking
towards the future and vow that they will never disappear. Even
though other cars may be cheaper and more economical, no car will
ever pass Rolls-Royce in quality or luxury. Other companies may try
but people will always think of Rolls-Royce along with luxury because
they've been in the business for over 100 years.
