ROLLS-ROYCE

ROLLS-ROYCE 

Electrical engineer Henry Royce (Henry Royce) from Manchester, in 1903 bought a French car Decauville "Dekovill"), was not satisfied with its design and appearance and decided to produce their own cars. A few months later he sold the first machine of its own design Charles Stewart Rolls (Charles Stewart Rolls), who liked it so much that by the end of 1904 was signed a cooperation agreement. Cars were called Rolls-Royce. Ever since Henry Royce until his death demanded that their employees produce only the "world's best cars", which they were a long time.


Model 1988 Silver Spirit with a V8 engine cylinder capacity of 6.75 liters exceed a speed of 190 km / h
Fame has brought the company put on sale in the 1906 model "40/50NR", called Silver Ghost ("Silver Goust"). In 1908 its production was transferred to a new factory in Derby, where over the next 30 years, all the cars produced this famous brand.
Soon, the company actually lost their heads, as Royce in 1910, died in a plane crash, and the Rolls after major surgery had to change the climate. Nevertheless, he continued to design cars, hiring a management company Johnson Claude (Claude Johnson). Before the Second World War, Rolls-Royce has never engaged in manufacture of bodies for their cars, relying on a specialized firms.


Car Silver Ghost. In the picture presented version of 1915 with a body of firm Hamshaw
During the 1910-40 years. the company expanded. She started to produce aircraft engines and made an unsuccessful attempt to establish an office in the United States, and in 1931 acquired the bankrupt firm Bentley ("Bentley"). Henry Royce, creating a 20-30s. a number of luxury cars, died in 1933, this time to replace the "40/50NR" came a series of Phantom ("Phantom"), "small" model "20NR" laid the foundations for the new series, it was the turn "V12 Phantom III". The volume of production exceeded one thousand cars a year.
By the beginning of the Second World War, Rolls-Royce into a manufacturer of aircraft engines, also produced a small number of cars. During the war, the main product of the company's famous engine Merlin VI2 ("Merlin") and created the first gas turbine engines. With the advent of the world of work in this area continued.


Phantom I with the body of Barker ("Barker") (left) and Phantom II1934, with the body of Thrupp and Maberley ("Trupp Maberli End") (right
Car assembly was transferred to a modern factory in Crewe, where the first time produced aircraft engines and cars were made Bentley. Following the Silver Dawn ("Dawn Silver"), the first in the history of the body is not received from a third party manufacturer, the model followed by Silver Wraith ("Silver Rate"), a series of Silver Cloud ("Silver Cloud") in 1955 after 10 years there was a first of the machines with a monocoque body Silver Shadow ("Silver Shadow").
By the time the separation went into decline Bentley, a Rolls-Royce on the contrary strengthened its position until 1971, when the financial problems of aviation department led the entire company into bankruptcy. Production of passenger cars could save. But before you replace the Silver Shadow in the 1980 model came Silver Spirit ("Silver Spirit"), the company acquired a group Vickers ("Vickers"). The volume of production by the end of the 80s. reached four thousand cars. In 1998 Rolls-Royce came under the control of the German concern Volkswagen ("VW"). On January 1, 2003 the company BMW (BMW) will receive full rights to the brand Rolls-Royce and starts serial production models "RR01" at the new plant. The old factory in Crewe depart Volkswagen.