Scott's Car Library - Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce

(contributed by: Chris Brands)

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.

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