Rolls-Royce is a famous luxury car manufacturer and one of the world's largest aero-engine manufacturers.
Rolls-Royce is world-renowned as an "aristocratic" car company. The annual output is only a few thousand vehicles, which is not even a fraction of the output of the world's major automobile companies. But from another perspective, things are rare and valuable. The reason why Rolls-Royce cars have become a symbol of status and status is because the company has to scrutinize the identity and background conditions of the car buyers. There used to be such a rule: only nobles could become its car owners. The founders of the company, Rolls and Royce, had completely different origins, hobbies, and personalities, but their persistence and yearning for the automotive industry made them an excellent pair.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was founded in 1904 by Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls. Volkswagen purchased Britain's Rolls-Royce Cars Ltd. in 1998.
The logo of Rolls-Royce uses two "R"s overlapping each other, symbolizing that you are in me and I am in you, reflecting the harmonious and harmonious relationship between the two.
In addition to the double R, the Rolls-Royce logo also has the famous Jumpman logo. The idea of ??this logo was taken from a 2,000-year-old statue of the Goddess of Victory in the art corridor of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Her solemn and noble figure is the source of passion for artists. When automotive art master Charles Sykes was invited to design a logo for the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Company, the image of the goddess deeply imprinted in his mind immediately inspired him to create. Then a statue of a goddess with arms stretched back and a veil floated over.
"Mr. Henry Rice, it is a great honor to meet you." On May 4, 1904, in the lobby of the Continental Hotel in Manchester, Mr. Charlie Laws said this while holding his hand tightly. The hands of life-long partner Mr. Henry Rice. It was this meeting that planted the seeds of a legend in automotive history - two years later, the first Rolls-Royce sedan was born.
It has been more than 100 years since Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce shook hands for the first time. According to the agreement signed by the two in 1904, Mr. Rice built the cars and Mr. Rolls sold them. Two years later, the two companies officially merged, determined to produce "the best car in the world."
"Appearance of the Phantom Cabriolet"
Prior to this, Henry Rice, an electrical engineer from a poor background, tried various methods. He first modified a second-hand Delco decauville started, but the end result was disappointing. With the help of a few friends, he decided to build his own car. This car has many similarities with the French car: 1.8-liter twin-cylinder engine, three-speed gearbox, and final torque gear transmission. Mr. Rice's efforts aroused the great attention of Mr. Rolls, who came from London's upper class. As the founder of the British Automobile Club and the agent of Panhard Company, he soon reached an agreement with Mr. Rice, the world's most famous This is how the double "kuang" logo was born.
Compared with its competitors, the original Rolls-Royce had two major characteristics: simple manufacturing process and extremely low noise when driving. These two advantages soon became A Rolls-Royce classic. The first truly legendary "Silver Ghost" was born in 1906. It first appeared at the Paris Auto Show, and its golden bell-shaped radiator is very eye-catching to this day. This shape is still an irreplaceable design element of Rolls-Royce. In addition to its unique appearance, the "Silver Ghost" also has technologies that are ahead of the times: forced lubrication; the output of the 7-liter six-cylinder engine can reach 48 horsepower; 110 kilometers per hour, which was definitely a world record at the time. However, the Rolls-Royce factory at that time only produced chassis, and most of the complete cars were assembled by the Barker Company in London to achieve elegant bodywork. .
The engines designed and manufactured by Mr. Rice have the two outstanding advantages of uniform power output and outstanding durability.
In 1907, a unique test was conducted by the judges of the London Automobile Club. A Rolls-Royce drove 24,000 kilometers without interruption, and the maintenance cost of the car during the entire process was only 3 pounds. Four years later, a "Silver Ghost" set another record: from London to Edinburgh and back, driving in fourth gear, the average fuel consumption per 100 kilometers was only 11.6 liters.
It is this unpretentious design and manufacturing concept that enables Rolls-Royce's products to achieve these impressive results. However, on the other hand, the company is also skeptical of any technological innovation and is worried that it will Immature new technologies will affect the reliability of their products. For example, it was not until 1919 that Rolls-Royce cars were equipped with starter motors, while its competitors had adopted this technology five years earlier; furthermore, the company did not start using monocoques until 1965. This cautious attitude fully shows that Rolls-Royce trusts the classics in automotive technology, at least in terms of appearance design, it has always adhered to this approach.
『Phantom appearance』
In other aspects, Rolls-Royce was ahead of the times: For example, the company’s commercial head, Mr. Claude Johnson We realized very early that in order to ensure the company's products' leading position in the market, the excellent quality of the products themselves is not enough. We must provide customers with continuous after-sales service to further cultivate their loyalty to the brand. As early as 1908, the company decided to have its mechanics come to customers regularly to check the condition of their vehicles, and also established a school to train professional drivers. This business model also achieved unprecedented success outside the UK. Five years later, repair shops providing professional services appeared in Paris, Berlin and Madrid. Rolls-Royce’s famous angel statue – the “spirit of ecstasy” – was born during this period. Montagu II, a nobleman from the Beaulieu region of France, suggested that the designer Charles Sykes create this model using his secretary, Miss Eleanor Thompson, as a model. logo.
"Appearance of the Phantom Fuhrer"
Mr. Rouse unfortunately died in an air crash in 1910, and his partner lived in seclusion in the south of France due to health reasons, but he continued to lead Design work for Rolls-Royce. Most people believe that after the two founders passed away, the Rolls-Royce logo changed from red to black, but this statement is contrary to the facts: according to authoritative historical records, the company adopted a new logo Just to make the whole vehicle look more solemn.
In addition, it is not true that Rolls-Royce only produces luxury cars. The Great Depression of 1922 forced the company to produce a new model, the Twenty, a six-cylinder car with a displacement of only 3 liters and a price that was only one-third of the Ghost. But this economical Rolls-Royce was unlucky, with less than 3,000 units produced in seven years. The fate of the Phantom, which replaced the Ghost in 1925, was completely different. This second-generation Rolls-Royce product had a number of technical innovations, such as synchronizers for both third and fourth gears, and unique suspension and transmission. device.