It seems that Rolls-Royce is as solid, unbreakable and solid as the luxury executive cars it produces. However, there were periods in the history of this brand when it could not find a livelihood and the English public once again questioned the expediency of continuing to support this giant, which only brings losses to the country. However, every time there were supporters of the revival of Rolls-Royce, who convinced everyone that the company is one of the objects of the historical heritage of the state, deserving honor and respect. Rolls-Royce can tell us how some of the most expensive executive cars in the world were made.
founding fathers
No matter how much the supporters argue about this various versions, and without Frederick Henry Royce, the Rolls-Royce manufacturing company would not exist. As the son of a bankrupt miller, at the age of 10 he was forced to find a job - first as a paperboy, and then as a worker. Despite the fact that he had to deal exclusively with physical labor, the guy did not lose heart and was engaged in self-education in his free time. In particular, he studied French and German languages and the fundamentals of electrical engineering. Due to his penchant for engineering, he was soon adopted by the designer lifting equipment to the Hiram Maxim plant, which we know from the famous machine gun that received . At the same time, Royce lived quite modestly - he saved money all his life, and in 1903, when he was 40, he opened his own mechanical workshop under the name F.G. Royce & Co., which later became the first production base Rolls Royce.
But the other founder of Rolls-Royce, Charles Stuart Rolls, was a hereditary aristocrat from Wales, and the full heir to the family estate. Being a rich and intelligent man, he received two higher educations, but did not seek to put the knowledge he had gained into practice - after all, during his studies he became interested in cars. On the Peugeot Phaeton donated to him by his father, Rolls even set one of the speed records. Seeing a profitable business in his hobby, in 1902 a young aristocrat opened the company C.S. Rolls & Co., which was engaged in the import of French cars. However, the history of Rolls-Royce would never have begun if Rolls had not been willing to create.
Start
The future founder of Rolls-Royce, Henry Royce, in 1903 acquired french car Decauville brand. The car was so imperfect and unreliable that the self-taught engineer had a burning desire to make his own vehicle that would fully meet his personal quality standards. This year, Royce built three cars that produced 10 horsepower. They did not differ in any technical innovations, however, they had excellent build quality and use exclusively reliable parts- that is, features that are currently bearing the Rolls-Royce brand.
All of England soon started talking about these vehicles - what’s there, even the Russian magazine “Behind the Wheel” in 1903 wrote about the amazing creation of the mechanic Royce. It so happened that the automobile enthusiast Charles Rolls, who was just looking for a partner who could help him create his own automobile factory, also heard about it. The founding of Rolls-Royce took place on May 1, 1904 in the city of Manchester in the restaurant of the Midland Hotel, where there was a mutually beneficial cooperation between two entrepreneurs.
Assembly began in 1904 automotive chassis, which were already branded Rolls-Royce, and not just the name of the engineer Royce. At the request of the client, they could be equipped with engines with a number of cylinders from 2 to 8. At the same time, the most powerful motor installed on a machine with own name"Legalimit", had an advanced V8 layout for that time. There was no Rolls-Royce - it was assumed that the client would order them himself, guided by his artistic taste. These cars also gained excellent fame very quickly - thanks in large part to the victories in the races, where many eminent racers, including Charles Rolls, sat behind the wheel of them. In total, until 1907, 100 Rolls-Royce cars were created, which were built on a common chassis, called the "prototype".
The first real Rolls-Royce
At the end of 1906, at the international transport exhibition, a new model of the Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP was shown, which was not similar to the early "prototypes" of the company. It was based on a very powerful one, and at the back there were three semi-elliptical springs - two longitudinal and one transverse, which gave such a vehicle an unprecedented smooth ride. The power unit was a 7-liter engine with six cylinders arranged in a row, the power of which was not disclosed to the general public. It was then that the tradition of Rolls-Royce to refer to power as “enough” was born, which was abandoned relatively recently.
Initially, under the name Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP, 12 chassis were produced, and the thirteenth became fateful for the company - the body for it was made by the Barker studio, whose designers gave the surfaces a silver color and covered with imitation precious metal All . Thanks to this, the model received the name "Silver Ghost", which after a few years began to be recognized in all corners of the world. At the same time, the Rolls-Royce emblem was registered, which consists of two letters R intertwined. Legend has it that Henry Royce, having lunch in a restaurant, saw a similar monogram on a tablecloth, and decided that it would be ideal for creating his logo. company, Rolls-Royce.
Rolls-Royce cars, called the Silver Ghost, were advertised as "the best in the world." This was doubted by Rolls' former companion, and now secretary of the Royal Automobile Club, Sir Claude Johnson. Having prepared a logbook to form entries about it, he went on a Rolls-Royce for a run. After walking 2000 miles, he decided to increase the distance to 15 thousand miles, which corresponds to 24 thousand kilometers. Despite the fact that Sir Johnson did not spare Rolls-Royce, and accelerated it to 120 km / h, at the end of the run in his logbook there was only one record of a £2 fuel cock replacement.
First ups and downs
In 1910, the history of Rolls-Royce was replenished with the first black line. As an avid aviation lover, Charles Stewart Rolls participated in demonstration performances before the public. Despite the fact that he took to the air dozens of times and even the first of the British to fly across the English Channel, he could not hold the aircraft. The plane crashed into the field and crashed, and one of the founders of Rolls-Royce was killed. In memory of his passion, Henry Royce founded the aviation division of Rolls-Royce, which later became completely independent from the parent company.
In 1911, Rolls-Royce gets another company logo, which was the figurine "Spirit of Ecstasy", mounted on the hood of the car. The owner of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Lord Belew, commissioned a sculptor friend, Charles Sykes, to make a figurine that would adorn the hood of his four-seat phaeton. He sculpted his creation, inspired by the image of the Lord's secretary, Eleanor Thornton. Since 1911, the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine for every Rolls-Royce - it was cast from babbitt, bronze, steel, as well as silver or pure gold according to special order client.
And 1922 was marked for Rolls-Royce by the appearance of another well-known name - Phantom. This car was the first Rolls-Royce to be originally equipped with an electric starter. In addition, the use of an upper valve arrangement in it made it possible to make power unit more powerful and stable and at the same time - compact. In 1929, the second generation Phantom saw the light, in which the engine was combined into a single block with and had more power. In addition, the outdated spring suspension schemes were no longer used on the Rolls-Royce chassis.
Despite the fact that other companies in the 30s suffered from the detrimental effects of the Great Depression, the global financial crisis, Rolls-Royce flourished - and in 1931 it even acquired Bentley, which was its only competitor. However, in 1933, the second founder of Rolls-Royce, engineer Henry Royce, died, after which the letters on the logo, which were previously red, remained forever black. During the outbreak of the war, the Rolls-Royce company also flourished - it received huge military orders and lived not so much due to the production of cars, but thanks to, including aviation.
Under strong wings
Until the end of the 50s, the history of Rolls-Royce was as successful as possible. The Bentley division brought in big profits, and the fourth and fifth generation Phantom models created by Rolls-Royce itself were even bought by the royal family, which served. Less wealthy people could buy the Silver Wrath, Silver Cloud, Silver Dawn models, also produced by Rolls-Royce based on their own technologies.
However, in the 60s, the company faced a financial crisis, which had to be rebuffed accordingly. Nevertheless, the Rolls-Royce administration, mindful of its success during the Great Depression, ignored the economic downturn and began work simultaneously on two significant projects - the development of a jet engine for aviation and the release of the Corniche model. As a result, Rolls-Royce lost its financial stability and, after several years of borrowing from various sources, was officially declared insolvent in 1971.
Under public pressure, the British government bailed out Rolls-Royce by paying $250 million to pay off loans and complete these projects. However, one of the demands made by government officials was the division of Rolls-Royce into two parts - an automobile factory and an enterprise that produced jet engines. If the first could be abandoned later, then for the British and American aircraft industry, the production of Rolls-Royce engines was of strategic importance.
After 9 years of trying to restore the Rolls-Royce company to a positive profit, the British government sold it for 38 million pounds to the Vickers aviation concern, which invested another 40 million pounds in the modernization of factories in the city of Crewe. Unbelievable, but true - only this year the company got the first assembly line, which reduced the production time of one vehicle from 65 to 28 full working days. Under the leadership of Vickers, Rolls-Royce even began to turn a profit. However, in 1997 it became clear that in order to establish industrial production, it was necessary to find another 200 million pounds, which the aviation corporation simply did not have. Therefore, in 1997, Rolls-Royce was put up for auction.
present tense
As soon as the auction began, the first applicants for the purchase of Rolls-Royce appeared. These became:
- Volkswagen;
- Daimler-Benz;
- RRAG - Rolls-Royce Rescue Society. A group of enterprising people who believed that Rolls-Royce was a British treasure and could not be sold to the eternal rivals of the British-Germans.
When the stakes reached breathtaking heights, Daimler-Benz withdrew its application, believing that it would be much cheaper for it to develop its own brand Maybach which has already been repeatedly discussed at the meeting of directors. And RRAG, who wanted to make Rolls-Royce public, was abandoned by representatives of the Vickers concern, without receiving from them a coherent program for managing a company in crisis.
To obtain guarantees in the acquisition of Rolls-Royce, BMW company, by that time supplying motors for this premium brand, threatened to stop cooperation. As a result, a £340 million deal was announced, in which the BMW group was the recipient of Rolls-Royce. However, the owner, Ferdinand Piech, could not just give way to his main competitor. By buying Rolls-Royce's associate Cosworth and persuading Vickers' board of directors, he was able to get a change of heart and bought the business for £430m.
However, BMW did not miss its share of Rolls-Royce. By owning a small joint venture for the production of aircraft engines, she blocked the deal and did not allow the production of cars to continue. However, after numerous meetings of the heads of the companies, an "amicable agreement" was adopted - Volkswagen receives the plant and trademark Bentley, while BMW gets the Rolls-Royce brand.
While production began at the Crewe plants on an extended range of Bentleys owned by concern BMW Rolls-Royce moved to West Sussex, where a new modern factory. Despite the presence of a conveyor and modern equipment, most of the interior and exterior decoration operations are carried out manually, which emphasizes. Currently in the lineup Rolls-Royce includes the following vehicles:
- Ghost sedan;
- Phantom sedan;
- Phantom EWB limousine (long wheelbase);
- Coupe Phantom Coupe;
- Coupe Wraith;
- Convertible Phantom Drophead Coupe.
On the video, the history of Rolls-Royce:
The luxury people want
Despite the fact that the owners of such cars were mostly aristocrats and people with huge incomes, the British still supported the idea of \u200b\u200bpreserving Rolls-Royce - even if they could not earn even a hundredth of its value. For them, Rolls-Royce was more of a symbol, as was the constitutional monarchy that Britain is so proud of. Therefore, we can confidently say that Rolls-Royce is not afraid of any crises now - especially if you consider that under the leadership of BMW it has again become profitable. To destroy Rolls-Royce, you must first completely change the mentality of the British, depriving them of their commitment to tradition.
Brief information about the company:
Brand name:"Rolls Royce" (Rolls Royce)
A country: England
Specialization: production of luxury cars
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd manufactures high-end cars under the Rolls-Royce brand of the same name. History of Rolls-Royce began at the dawn of the twentieth century...
The company was opened in 1904 by businessman and engineer Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, whose names are included in the name of the company and brand. The famous logo looks like two letters R on a black background with signatures.
In the first batch, the company produced several cars with two cylinders (models 12PS, 15PS, 20PS, 30PS), three, four, six (divided into blocks of 2 and 4 cylinders) and an eight-cylinder "Legallimit".
New cars quickly gained popularity, especially after car racing, in which they won prizes. The first victory was brought by Rolls-Royce 20PS with 20 horsepower in the Tourist Trophy rally (1906). In Ormond Beach, Rolls-Royce set a record for cars under 60 hp.
However, the true birth of the company is considered to be 1906, when the Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP was released, which was given the name "Silver Ghost". The Silver Spirit has become one of the most famous and popular cars in the world.
In 1925, the successor to the "Silver Spirit" was published. Rolls-Royce Phantom I, which, however, did not have the same success and was eventually replaced by the Rolls-Royce Phantom II, in which the company redesigned the design and handling of the model.
In 1931, rival company Bentley, specializing in the production sports cars and limousines, was taken over by Rolls-Royce.
Rolls-Royce has become so prestigious car that in the 50s. cars of this brand began to be ordered by fans from elite circles around the world, including members of the British royal house.
However, in 1971, the company was on the verge of ruin, from which the British government brought the company out, investing 250 million dollars in production.
Having received rescue funds, the company released new models: the Rolls-Royce Corniche and Rolls-Royce Camague convertible, in the development of which foreign designers took part for the first time.
Another Silver Spirit with V-engine and the Silver Spur were released in 1982. and gained great popularity among buyers in the USA. Then the models were improved and named respectively Silver Dawn and Rolls-Royce Flying Spur.
The face of the company today is the Silver Spur II Touring Limousine, which only the richest gentlemen of the world can purchase.
BMW in 1998 took control of Rolls-Royce, and the Bentley brand went to Volkswagen.
2 years after the rebuild, 2 new items were released on the Silver Seraph chassis: the Corniche convertible and the 4-door Park Ward sedan, which were designed to replace the old models and please many famous rich people with this.
However, since 2003 the Rolls-Royce brand becomes the absolute property of BMW, and the factories in Crewe begin under Volkswagen management production of cars only with the Bentley brand.
Henry Royce made his first car, the two-cylinder Royce 10 at his Manchester facility in 1904. He presented his product to the owner dealer company CS Rolls & Co. Fulham to Charles Rolls, who was impressed by the Royce 10. An agreement was made that CSRolls & Co. Will be engaged in the implementation of the entire product line of Royce. It included four models at that time.
All cars were branded Rolls Royce and sold exclusively by Rolls. The first Rolls Royce 10 hp was introduced in Paris in December 1904. Rolls-Royce Limited was formed on March 15, 1906, by which time it became apparent that new production facilities were needed. New factory was largely designed by Royce and production began in 1908.
In 1906, Royce developed an improved six-cylinder model called the 40/50 hp, which was the first product of the new company. This model was in demand and a total of more than 6,000 cars were sold. In 1925, 40/50 was renamed Silver Ghost. In 1921, the company opened a second plant in Springfield, Massachusetts.
After World War I, faced with declining sales of the Silver Ghost, the company introduced the cheaper Twenty in 1922. In 1931, Rolls-Royce acquires Bentley, which was unable to cope with the onset of the Great Depression. From then until 2002, Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars are often similar down to the grille and small details.
The production of Rolls Royce and Bentley cars moved to Crewe in 1946, where the company began to assemble cars completely. Previously, the company mainly produced only the chassis, leaving body production to other manufacturers. The company was so successful that by the 50s its products were used exclusively by the aristocracy and even the royal house.
The laid foundation lasted until the sixties, but the financial situation was getting worse, and by February 1971 the company went bankrupt. But the government saved the day because the Rolls-Royce was considered a national treasure. However, the company was divided into a division for the production of cars and components and aviation.
Another crisis happened in 1980 and this time the Vickers concern saved the day by buying Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited. Upgrading the equipment, Rolls-Royce released the Silver Seraph, which was designed using the latest technologies and saw the light in 1998. However, the reforms did not affect the manual assembly method inherent in Rolls-Royce and work exclusively on pre-orders.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG in 1998 following BMW's purchase of the license rights to the brand name, logo and branding from Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited manufactures branded cars Rolls-Royce since 2003.
Products
Phantom
Since 2003 4-door sedan. The car has a 6.75 liter V12 engine manufactured by BMW, installed only on this model. Rich leather interior, fine wood interior trim is carried out at a new plant in Goodwood.
Since 2005 - Wheelbase of this car has become 250 mm longer than the standard Phantom. Since 2007 - Phantom Drophead Coupe (convertible). Since 2008 - Phantom Coupe.
Ghost
Since 2010 - a 4-door sedan, positioned below the Rolls Royce Phantom. On March 4, 2014, the new Ghost Series II was shown to the public at Geneva Motor Show. It has significant changes in the internal and external design.
Since 2013 - Rolls-Royce Wraith Coupe - a luxurious coupe with a long hood and smooth body lines. It is essentially a two-seater version of the Ghost. Equipped with a V12 623 hp engine. with twin turbocharging, and 8-speed gearbox. This is the most powerful Rolls-Royce to date.
After the war, Rolls-Royce resumed car production and in 1921 opened its first factory in the United States. The "R" engine was designed for a seaplane entry in the Schneider Cup in Great Britain in 1929. Royce seemed to have sketched the design with a cane while walking on the sands of West Wittering. It was this engine, after refinement, that became the legendary Merlin, which was then installed on the allied Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft.
Production of the Rolls-Royce 20 HP, aptly named "Baby" Rolls-Royce, began in 1922. Designed for driver-owners, the car became very popular with the growing middle class - professional doctors, lawyers and businessmen. An in-line was installed on it six-cylinder engine 3127 cu. cm, which developed a maximum speed of 62 miles / h.
In 1925, the Silver Ghost model was replaced by the "New Phantom", which later became the famous Phantom I. armored vehicles Silver Ghost were assembled in 1927 for the Russian Trade Representation "Arkos". The Phantom was assembled both in the UK and at a new factory in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The 30s of the 20th century became the era of new records on land, at sea and in the air. Sir Malcolm Campbell set the land speed record at 272.46 mph in 1933 with his Bluebird. In 1937, George Aston, in his Rolls-Royce twin "R"-engined Thunderbolt, broke that record with a top speed of 312.2 mph. Sir Henry Seagrove broke the world sea speed record of 119 mph in a Miss England II with an "R" engine, but died almost immediately after hitting a flooded stump.
The chassis of the Phantom II has been substantially redesigned, making it perfect choice for those who left work on Friday evening and went to the south of France for the weekend. The most famous were the Barker hardtop convertible, the Park Ward Continental coupe and the Barker Torpedo Tourer. The Park Ward Continental reached 92.3 mph and accelerated from 0 to 60 in 19.4 seconds.
The Phantom III was the first Rolls-Royce with a V12 engine - with a 60 degree angle and a displacement of 7340 cc. see. The most famous bodies were: the Park Ward limousine and the sedan de ville; saloon de ville hooper. Park Ward Limo: 91.84 mph and 0-60 in 16.8 seconds.
During the Second World War, at the request of the Air Ministry, all attention at the Derby Works and at the new plant in Crewe, which became the home of Rolls-Royce in 1946, switched to aircraft engines. The war changed the view of Rolls-Royce as a "brilliant fish in a sea of technology" to a contender for world leadership in the construction of aircraft engines. The Rolls-Royce Derwent V-powered Gloucester Meteor demonstrated this with a new world airspeed record of 606 mph.
All bodies for the Silver Wraith were made to order. The production of these cars continued until 1959, they were equipped with a 4887 cc engine. see, coping with such "heavyweights" as the sedan de ville H.J. Mulliner and Hooper Touring limousine.
Silver Dawn became the first stock car Rolls-Royce with standard steel body. All cars have been exported. Yet some of the bodywork was custom made, making these cars collector's gems. 4257 cc six-cylinder in-line engine cm in 1951 was modified to 4.5 liters, and in 1954 - to 4.9 liters.
In the second half of the 20th century, Rolls-Royce began their longstanding partnership with royal family, replacing such a preferred supplier of cars for monarchs as Daimler.
In 1950, HRH Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh broke with longstanding royal tradition and boarded the first Phantom IV. All 18 car Phantom IV, created exclusively for royalty and heads of state, are still the most rare Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in the world.
1955 marks the first appearance of the Silver Cloud. Its 4887 cc engine, the same as the Dawn, allowed it to reach a top speed of 106 mph, and J.P. Blatchley.
At the end of the decade, the Phantom V replaced the Phantom IV. With a V8 engine and bespoke bodywork, it had far more fans than its predecessor.
The dashing sixties turned Rolls-Royce to face a new "breed" of owners. Actors, pop stars and heroes of their time increasingly began to choose cars of this brand. So Rolls-Royce is not the first time he became a movie star.
In 1965, the yellow-bodied Barker Phantom II shared the spotlight with Omar Sharif, Ingrid Bergman and Rex Harrison in the Yellow Rolls-Royce. In the same year, John Lennon purchased the Phantom V. And although the car was originally white color, Lennon repainted it matte black. When new color he got bored, Lennon painted it psychedelically, and this Rolls-Royce is one of the most prized heirlooms of pop stars to this day.
Introduced in 1965 Silver Shadow I was the first Rolls-Royce car with a monocoque body. 220 HP under its hood at 4500 rpm they accelerated it to top speed 118 mph
The 1970s proved to be a difficult decade for Rolls-Royce. The company had to be divided into two independent enterprises - Rolls-Royce Limited, which specialized in aircraft engines, renamed Rolls-Royce PLC in 1985, and Rolls-Royce Motors Limited, which produces cars. But despite this, these years were marked by the release of many famous models.
The stylish two-door bespoke Corniche was based on the Silver Shadow but hand-built by Mulliner Park Ward. The Corniche was produced in two versions - hard top and convertible top. Over the entire history, 1306 such cars have been created.
For the Mulliner Park Ward on the Silver Shadow platform, the Pininfarina team also created a bespoke Camargue body. It was the first Rolls-Royce built in the metric system and offered some of the most exclusive innovations at the time, such as automatic stratified air conditioning. It was replaced by Silver Shadow II, the changes affected not only its appearance - a curved black bumper and lower spoiler appeared - its handling characteristics also improved.
In 1980, the British defense company Vickers bought Rolls-Royce Motors Limited and continued to manufacture Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars. In 1985, the company was renamed Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited and listed on the stock exchange.
In 1983, the power of Rolls-Royce cars set a new speed record. Driven by Richard Noble, Thrust 2, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 302 jet engine, reached 633.468 mph.
The Silver Spirit retained the lower body of the Silver Shadow, but the upper body was more modern and elegant.
The Corniche model has many common features with Silver Seraph, but it was equipped with a regular V8. with its superb torque, the V8 was a perfect fit for the fast-moving Corniche.
Today the headquarters of Rolls-Royce and assembly plant are located among the hills of Sussex in Goodwood, UK. The beauty of the surrounding nature inspires not only the world-famous architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, but also all those who every day create the history of the legendary car brand.
The creation of the first new Rolls-Royce car of the 21st century began with the challenge of creating the best car in the world. The solution was Phantom. it was followed by the longer-wheelbase Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the looser Drophead Coupé and the subtly seductive Phantom Coupé. Inspired by the inspirational words of its founder, in 2012 the Rolls-Royce team set themselves the task of creating the most advanced cars in the world. And her solution was the Phantom Series II.
The launch of Ghost and Ghost Extended Wheelbase with an extended wheelbase marked the next stage in the development of the brand. This led Rolls-Royce to create two exclusive families, each with a distinct personality, but united to embody the full power of Rolls-Royce. To design and create the most technically perfect cars, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars needs significant investment in human resources and the Goodwood assembly plant.
A suite that has its roots in ancient times in the history of England. The concern for its production is owned by BMW. The Rolls Royce Phantom is expensive. But for true connoisseurs of elegance and unique British gloss, characteristic of this model, this is nothing. They are willing to pay a high price to become the owner of this car.
Stages of development
The Rolls Royce Phantom, like other cars of this brand, is manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. She began her activity in 1904, thanks to the efforts of the merchant Charles Rolls and the engineer Frederick Royce.
The logo was 2 letters R, written in an academic font and interconnected. Until 1933, the letters were written on a red background, but then, when the last founder of the company died, the background was changed to black.
The first car was produced in 1904 in Manchester. It is now fully assembled and owned by the Love family. The owners of the company sought to buy this piece of their history, but could not. One can only guess at the amount they offered for the car.
During the first few years, a series of small cars were released: 12PS, 15PS, 20PS, 30PS.
Rolls-Royces took part in motor racing and often returned from there with a victory. Largely due to this, they gained popularity very quickly. For the first time, a car won a victory on the track of the Tourist Trophy rally in 1906. The 20PS model with 4 cylinders and 20 hp participated in the race. This was followed by a series of victories in various competitions and several records. All cars participating in the races were developed on the basis of the Rolls-Royce Prototype.
But the real success of the company was due to the release of the Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP chassis in 1906. The serial number was already 60551 at that time. This model was later called the "Silver Spirit".
successor to this legendary model became the lesser-known Rolls Royce Phantom 1, which was released in 1925. He was not popular due to handling problems and old-fashioned design. Nevertheless, this model was produced in a volume of more than two thousand pieces. In 1929, the second generation of the Rolls-Royce Phantom went on sale.
The year 1931 is characterized for the company by the purchase of the rival company Bentley, known for its reliable, expensive cars. But the Bentley brand was preserved and exists to this day.
Rolls-Royces of the luxury class after 1949 seemed to be returning to the past. It can be seen from the titles: Silver Ghost”, “Silver Dawn”, “Silver Cloud”. In addition to them, in 1965, " silver shadow". The 4th and 5th generations of the Rolls Royce Phantom were produced on the same chassis as the Silver Cloud.
In the 50s, the prestige of the company reached incredible heights. Even the royal family used their cars. Owned as many as five models:
- "Rolls-Royce-Phantom 4" (1955);
- Rolls Royce Phantom 5 (1960);
- "Rolls-Royce-Phantom 5" (1961);
- "Rolls-Royce-Phantom 6" (1978) - 2 pcs.
Merger with other companies
The popularity of the products did not save the company from collapse. In 1971, the concern was declared bankrupt. He was saved by the government, investing about a quarter of a million dollars. The production of the car of this brand continued.
In 1998, the BMW concern became the head of the company. During the fight for the Rolls-Royce German company Volkswagen received the car factories producing Bentley models and those located in Crewe. And since 2003, the BMW concern has completely taken over the Rolls-Royce brand.
Main characteristics
The first Rolls-Royces produced before 1906 had two, three or four cylinders. There were even six-cylinder models that were split into two separate blocks. One contained 2 cylinders, and the other 4. Even the Rolls-Royce-Legallimit was released, which consisted of 8 cylinders.
Rolls-Royce Phantom cars of the 5th generation and above have a spar frame, power steering, hydromechanical box gear shifting.
Rolls Royce Phantom today
Currently, the cars of this brand are still popular with lovers of the classics. Therefore, manufacturers continue to produce a car. "Rolls-Royce-Phantom" today can be purchased in several modifications, differing for the most part in the body.
Since 2003, the Rolls Royce Phantom has been produced, the characteristics of which are as follows: a sedan body, 4 doors, an engine capacity of 6.7 liters. and power 460 hp
Since 2006, the production of the four-door Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended sedan begins. Petrol engine 6.7 liters. allows you to reach a power of 460 hp. Up to 100 km / h accelerates in 6.1 s. Six-speed automatic transmission. Rear drive.
Since 2007, the production of a two-door convertible began, and since 2008 - a coupe.
Price
The cost of Rolls Royce Phantom varies depending on the year of production and many other characteristics. The average price for a Rolls-Royce in Russia is as follows:
- 2003 onwards - more than 6 million rubles.
- 2009 onwards - more than 13 million rubles.
- 2011 onwards - 22.5 million rubles.
- 2012 onwards - 28.7 million rubles.
- 2013 onwards - 25 million rubles.
The price is for cars with basic equipment.
Whatever the cost of Rolls-Royce cars, there will always be those who want to buy them. After all, they are characterized by comfort and aristocracy, reliability and durability. And such things are valued at all times.
