| Rolls Royce is a name synonymous with style and | | | | with the colour of the coachwork. The coachwork |
| elegance; the cars made by this company are | | | | was built externally for many years but Rolls Royce |
| renowned for their luxurious nature as well as the | | | | changed this in 1959 with the release of the Phantom |
| quality of their design and manufacture. | | | | mark IV. |
| Dating back over one hundred years the car company | | | | Apart from making cars, Rolls Royce has a history of |
| has made models for the rich and famous and today, | | | | supplying vast numbers of aeronautical engines for the |
| to own a Rolls Royce can be seen as marker of | | | | British military. At times, especially during the twenties, |
| success, wealth and opulence. The company started | | | | the aeronautical industry formed most of the business |
| from modest beginnings and has etched a niche in the | | | | for the company. Royce, going back to his mechanical |
| luxury car market and created one of the recognisable | | | | background enjoyed engine design; the last engine he |
| and well known brands globally. | | | | was able to design was the Merlin, an engine that |
| Rolls Royce traces its history back to 1884 when | | | | powered many of Britain's World War Two planes. |
| Frederick Henry Royce started a mechanical and | | | | The planes that used this fantastic engine were |
| electric engineering business. Based in Manchester the | | | | diverse and carried out many different roles for the |
| first car, simply labelled 'The Royce' rolled of the | | | | allied war effort. The hero of British bombing, the Avro |
| production line in 1904. During this year he was | | | | Lancaster used four of them to get into the air while |
| introduced to a man that would help him start one of | | | | Wellingtons and Mosquitoes also employed the Rolls |
| the most prestigious car manufacturers the world has | | | | Royce Merlin. Most famously was the use of the |
| ever seen; that man was Charles Stewart Rolls. A | | | | Merlin in the fighters of the day, two heroes of the |
| deal was broken between the two men that Royce | | | | Battle of Britain, the Hawker Hurricane and |
| would manufacture cars while Rolls would sell them. | | | | Supermarine Spitfire were both powered by a Rolls |
| The manufacturing plant moved to Derby in 1908 and | | | | Royce engine while the American P-51 Mustang, |
| Rolls Royce as a company was officially born. The | | | | arguably the best fighter of its day also used the Merlin |
| first model produced by the company was the Silver | | | | engine. |
| Ghost and only six thousand of the models were built | | | | As well as many military uses the engines built by Rolls |
| in Derby (a further seventeen hundred were built in | | | | Royce have powered some of the most recognisable |
| Springfield, Massachusetts to cope with American | | | | engineering efforts of the twentieth century. Powering |
| demand). | | | | the cross channel hovercraft to this day as well as the |
| The company then made a move to purchase rival | | | | legendary Concorde, the contribution made by Rolls |
| Bentley in 1931 as Bentley had been struggling through | | | | Royce engines to the modern world is hard to dispute. |
| the great depression. Up until fairly recently, 2002 to be | | | | The aircraft company endured financial difficulties |
| precise, Bentley and Rolls Royce cars were almost | | | | during the seventies leading to the company being |
| identical in many respects, minor aesthetic differences | | | | nationalised for almost twenty years. The car |
| were evident however. | | | | company however avoided nationalisation and remains |
| Two years later the company changed the colour of | | | | a separate entity to this day. Still a marker of wealth |
| its radiator badges from red to black. For a long time | | | | and status the cars Rolls Royce produce are |
| this was considered a mark of respect to the recently | | | | considered the ultimate in motor design. Used by |
| passed Royce but this however is a misconception; | | | | royalty and the super rich to this day the company |
| the reason for the change was that black clashed less | | | | continues to go from strength to strength. |