ROLCE ROYCE *information* .Z to A

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 percent of all Rolls-Royce cars ever to emerge from the production line are still operational and on the roads today.

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, 21 of the most interesting facts from the marque’s 116-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.

1904 Rolls-Royce 10HP

1904 Rolls-Royce 10HP 

Rolls-Royce

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.

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 $40 million to transfer ownership to BMW, which agreed to the terms and paid the sizable sum.

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 percent 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 300-mph club

Last year, Bugatti set the automotive world aflutter when its Chiron hypercar, piloted by Andy Wallace, hit 304.77 mph. However, Rolls-Royce got to that enchanting speed first. Its 2,300 horsepower, 36.7-liter 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 272.46 mph 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 301.33 mph.

Campbell-Railton Blue birdGoodwood Festival of Speed 2013, Chichester, West Sussex, Britain - 14 Jul 2013

The record-breaking Blue Bird at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2013. 

Photo: Shutterstock

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-liter 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 10 mph. 

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-liter 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 10 mph. 

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 387 mph in testing, making it not just the fastest electric plane but the fastest electric vehicle, period.

Rolls-Royce the Spirit of Innovation

Rolls-Royce the Spirit of Innovation 

John M Dibbs/Rolls-Royce

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 program. 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.

Only bulls are used for Rolls-Royce’s leather interiors

Since sumptuous leather abounds in any Roller, ensuring that each inch is blemish-free is a requisite. Rolls-Royce does this by only sourcing from bulls since cows can get unwelcome stretch marks during pregnancy. Furthermore, those bulls only come from Europe where the higher altitudes mean fewer mosquitos and other insects, minimizing bite marks.

One man paints all of Rolls-Royce’s pinstripes by hand

One pair of hands has been painting the pinstripes on all Rolls-Royce cars for the past 17 years, and they belong to Mark Court. Court has been doing this intricate work since the company opened its Goodwood plant in 2003. (It’s his only job, and reportedly earns him a six-figure salary.) Given the lack of room for error—the pinstripe paint is a unique variety that affixes instantly to the car’s paint, so mistakes result in the whole car needing repainting—it’s well-deserved.