'''Rolls-Royce''' is a set of companies, all deriving from the British automobile and aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls in 1906. *Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, a new manufacturer of luxury automobiles, owned by BMW, which started deliveries of its single model, the
Phantom, in January 2003.
*Bentley Motors is the continuation of the original Rolls-Royce automobile division. Since 1998 the company has been owned by the Volkswagen Group. Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars have shared much mechanically since the 1931 takeover of Bentley by Rolls-Royce, often differing in little other than the radiator grille. Confusingly, from 2003 the company is no longer allowed to produce cars called Rolls-Royce, the trademarks being licensed to BMW, rather than to Volkswagen.Nicknames for Rolls-Royce cars are ''Rolls'', ''Roller'' and ''Double R'', although in Derby (where the headquarters of
Rolls-Royce plc are located), the firm is universally known as ''Royce's''. The term "The Rolls-Royce of ''x''" is often used
informally .
History:
In 1884 Frederick Henry Royce started an electrical and mechanical business. He made his first car, a "Royce", in his Manchester factory in 1904. He was introduced to Charles Stewart Rolls in a Manchester hotel on the May 4 that year, and the pair agreed a deal where Royce would manufacture cars, to be sold exclusively by Rolls. A clause was added to the contract, stipulating the cars would be called "Rolls-Royce". The company was formed on March 15, 1906 and moved to Derby in 1908.
The Silver Ghost (1906-1925) was the model responsible for the company's early great reputation. It had a 6-cylinder engine. 6173 were built. In 1921, the company opened a second factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, in the United States to help meet demand there. A further 1701 "Springfield Ghosts" were built there. This factory operated for 10 years, closing in 1931. Its chasis was used as a basis for the first british armoured car deployed in both World wars.
During 1931, the company acquired rival car maker Bentley, whose finances were unable to weather the Great Depression. From then until 2002, Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars were often identical apart from the radiator grille and minor details.
rolls-royce-100th-anniversary-of-the-silver-ghost-celebration( THE ABOVE PICTURE)
The company's first aero engine was the Eagle, built from 1914. Around half the aircraft engines used by the Allies in WW1 were made by Rolls-Royce. By the late 1920s, aero engines made up most of Rolls-Royce's business.
development subsequent to the R engine, which had powered a record-breaking Supermarine S6B seaplane to almost
400mph in the 1931 Schneider Trophy.) The Merlin was a powerful V12 engine, and was fitted into many World War II
aircraft: the British Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, De Havilland Mosquito.(twin-engined), Avro Lancaster
(4-engine), Vickers Wellington (2-engine); it also transformed the American P-51 Mustang into possibly the best fighter
of its time, its Merlin engine built by Packard under license. Over 160,000 Merlin engines were produced.
Rolls-Royce cars 1945-1998
The major events in the company's history were:
* 1965: launch of the modern Silver Shadow. * 1971: nationalization of the combined aero-engine and car company. * 1973: privatization of the car division as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. * 1980: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars acquired by Vickers.
Main cars in this period:
* Silver Dawn, 1949-1955. * Silver Cloud, 1955-1966. * Silver Shadow, 1965-1980. This was the first Rolls-Royce with a monocoque chassis. Started with a 6.23 L V8 engine, later expanded to 6.75 L. This shared its design with the Bentley T-series. * Camargue, 1975-1986 with a Pininfarina body * Silver Spirit, 1980-1994. This shared its design with the Bentley Mulsanne. * Corniche, 1971-1996 (generations I - IV)
Bentley models were produced mostly in parallel with the above cars. The Bentley Continental coupés (produced in various forms from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s) did not have Rolls-Royce equivalents. Very expensive Rolls-Royce Phantom limousines were also produced. In this period other luxury car makers, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and (much later) Lexus, made many technical advances combining sporting abilities with high levels of comfort; this left Rolls-Royces looking old-fashioned in many ways.
The VW and BMW deal
In 1998 Vickers decided to sell the Rolls-Royce automobile business. Although Volkswagen Group also made offers for the company, the leading contender seemed to be BMW, who already supplied engines and other components for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars. However their final offer of £340m was outbid by VW, who offered £430m.
BMW and VW arrived at a solution. For the period from 1998 to 2002, BMW would continue to supply engines for the cars, and would allow use of the names, but this would cease on January 1, 2003. On that date, only BMW would be able to name cars "Rolls-Royce", and VW's former Rolls-Royce/Bentley division would only build cars called "Bentley". Rolls Royce's convertible, the Corniche, ceased production in 2002.
TOM PURVES(THE RECENT CEO OF ROLLS ROYCE)
Posts
