Rolls-Royce (car)
Encyclopedia
- Rolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
(1906–73) - Rolls-Royce MotorsRolls-Royce MotorsRolls-Royce Motors was created from the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
(1973–2003), which was owned by VickersVickersVickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
between 1980 and 1998, and after that by VolkswagenVolkswagenVolkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
. Since 2003, this company has been known as Bentley Motors LimitedBentleyBentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
, a subsidiary of the VolkswagenVolkswagenVolkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
Group - Rolls-Royce Motor CarsRolls-Royce Motor CarsRolls-Royce Motor Cars is a British manufacturer of luxury automobiles based at the Goodwood plant in West Sussex, England. It is the current producer of Rolls-Royce branded automobiles, whose historical production dates back to 1904. The factory is located across from the historic Goodwood Circuit...
(2003–present), a subsidiary of the BMWBMWBayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
Group
Rolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
vehicles
- 1904–06 10 hpRolls-Royce 10 hpThe Rolls-Royce 10 hp was the first car to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, and badged as a Rolls-Royce. The 10 hp was produced by Royce's company, Royce Ltd., at its factory in Trafford Park, Manchester, and was sold...
- 1905–05 15 hpRolls-Royce 15 hpThe Rolls-Royce 15 hp was one of four cars to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Badged as a Rolls-Royce, the 15 hp was produced by Royce's company, Royce Ltd., at its factory in Trafford Park, Manchester. It was sold exclusively...
- 1905–08 20 hpRolls-Royce 20 hp (1905)The Rolls-Royce 20 hp was one of four cars to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Badged as a Rolls-Royce, the 20 hp was produced during 1905 and 1906 by Royce's company, Royce Ltd. at its factory in Trafford Park, Manchester. It...
- 1905–06 30 hpRolls-Royce 30 hpThe Rolls-Royce 30 hp was one of four cars to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Badged as a Rolls-Royce, the 30 hp was produced during 1905 and 1906 by Royce's company, Royce Ltd. at its factory in Trafford Park, Manchester. It...
- 1905–06 V-8Rolls-Royce V-8 (1905)The Rolls-Royce V-8 was a car produced by Rolls-Royce in 1905 intended to compete with the then popular electric cars used in towns.Claude Johnson, business partner of C. S. Rolls suggested there would be a market for an internal combustion engined car that could take on the electric car market. To...
- 1906–25 40/50 Silver GhostRolls-Royce Silver GhostThe Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost refers both to a car model and to one specific car from that series.Originally named the "40/50 h.p." the chassis was originally produced at Royce's Manchester works, before moving to Derby in July 1908 and also, between 1921 and 1926, in Springfield, Massachusetts....
- 1922–29 TwentyRolls-Royce TwentyThe Rolls-Royce Twenty built between 1922 and 1929 was Rolls-Royce's "small car" for the 1920s and was produced alongside the 40/50 Silver Ghost and Phantom...
- 1925–29 40/50 PhantomRolls-Royce Phantom IThe Phantom was Rolls-Royce's replacement for the original Silver Ghost.-Description:The Phantom I is the second model in the Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp line. It was originally and even now correctly referred to as New Phantom...
- 1929–36 20/25Rolls-Royce 20/25The Rolls-Royce 20/25 built between 1929 and 1936 succeeded the 20hp as Rolls-Royce's "small car". It was intended to appeal to owner drivers but many were sold to customers with chauffeurs.-Engineering:...
- 1929–35 Phantom IIRolls-Royce Phantom IIThe Phantom II replaced the New Phantom in Rolls-Royce's offerings in 1929.-Description:It shared the 7.7 L pushrod-OHV straight-6 engine from its predecessor, being the last large six-cylinder Rolls. The engine was unitary with a 4-speed manual transmission...
- 1936–38 25/30Rolls-Royce 25/30The Rolls-Royce 25/30 built between 1936 and 1938 is an updated version of the 20/25 with larger engine to provide more power, as often, over-large bodies had been fitted to the earlier model leading to complaints about its performance.-Engineering:...
- 1936–39 Phantom IIIRolls-Royce Phantom IIIThe Rolls-Royce Phantom III was the final large pre-war Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1936, it replaced the Phantom II and it was the only V12 Rolls-Royce until the 1998 introduction of the Silver Seraph....
- 1938–39 WraithRolls-Royce WraithThe Rolls-Royce Wraith was built by Rolls-Royce at their Derby factory from 1938 to 1939 and supplied to independent coachbuilders as a running chassis....
- 1946–59 Silver WraithRolls-Royce Silver WraithFor information on the Silver Wraith II, see Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.The Silver Wraith was the first post-war Rolls-Royce model and was made at the Crewe factory from 1946 to 1959....
- 1949–55 Silver DawnRolls-Royce Silver DawnThe Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn is a car that was produced by Rolls-Royce at their Crewe works between 1949 and 1955. It was the first Rolls-Royce car to be offered with a factory built body which it shared, along with its chassis, with the Bentley Mark VI until 1952 and then the Bentley R Type until...
- 1950–56 Phantom IVRolls-Royce Phantom IVThe Phantom IV is the most exclusive Rolls-Royce model ever built.Only 18 were made between 1950 and 1956, exclusively for royalty and heads of state...
- 1955–66 Silver CloudRolls-Royce Silver CloudThe Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud was the core model of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars range from April 1955 until March 1966. It replaced the Silver Dawn and was, in turn, replaced by the Silver Shadow.The J. P...
- 1959–68 Phantom VRolls-Royce Phantom VThe Phantom V was a large, ultra-exclusive four-door saloon made by Rolls-Royce from 1959 to 1968.Based on the Silver Cloud II, it shared a V8 engine and General Motors Hydramatic automatic gearbox with its smaller sibling. Rolls-Royce assembled the cars' chassis and drivetrains with bodies made to...
- 1965–80 Silver ShadowRolls-Royce Silver ShadowThe Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is a luxury car that was produced in Great Britain in various forms from 1965 to 1980. It was the first Rolls-Royce to use a monocoque chassis, a response to concerns that the company was falling behind in automotive innovation....
- 1968–91 Phantom VIRolls-Royce Phantom VIThe Phantom VI was an ultra-exclusive Rolls-Royce model made from 1968-1991.Based on the Phantom V, the Phantom VI had a re-styled facia and was powered by an engine derived from the current Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow...
- 1971–96 Corniche I–VRolls-Royce CornicheThe Corniche was Rolls-Royce's coupé and convertible version of the Silver Shadow produced between 1971 and 1996. The Corniche was named "Silver Shadow Mulliner Park Ward two door fixed head coupé " from 1966 until 1971 when the Corniche name was applied. The exterior design was by John Polwhele...
Bentley models (from 1933)
- 1933–37 Bentley 3½ LBentley 3.5 LitreThe 3½ Litre was presented to the public in September 1933, shortly after the death of Henry Royce, and was the first new Bentley model following Rolls-Royce's acquisition of the Bentley brand in 1931...
- 1936–39 Bentley 4¼ LBentley 3.5 LitreThe 3½ Litre was presented to the public in September 1933, shortly after the death of Henry Royce, and was the first new Bentley model following Rolls-Royce's acquisition of the Bentley brand in 1931...
- 1940–40 Bentley 4¼ L Mark VBentley 3.5 LitreThe 3½ Litre was presented to the public in September 1933, shortly after the death of Henry Royce, and was the first new Bentley model following Rolls-Royce's acquisition of the Bentley brand in 1931...
Rolls-Royce MotorsRolls-Royce MotorsRolls-Royce Motors was created from the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
vehicles
- 1975–86 CamargueRolls-Royce CamargueThe Rolls-Royce Camargue is a two-door coupé introduced by Rolls-Royce Motors in March 1975. The Camargue's body, built in London by their coachbuilding division Mulliner Park Ward, was designed by automotive designer Paolo Martin at Pininfarina — the Camargue was Rolls-Royce's first post-war...
- 1980–98 Silver Spirit/Silver SpurRolls-Royce Silver SpiritFor the cruise ship see MS Silver SpiritThe Silver Spirit is a British saloon automobile made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, in England. It was launched in 1980.The Silver Spur was a long-wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit, produced at the same time....
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.
- 1998–2002 Silver SeraphRolls-Royce Silver SeraphThe Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, produced from 1998 to 2002, was first unveiled on March 3, 1998 at the Geneva Motor Show. The Silver Seraph replaced the Silver Spur, which ended production in 1997....
- 2000–02 Corniche VRolls-Royce Corniche (2000)The Rolls-Royce Corniche is a two-door, four-seater luxury car with a cabriolet body, made in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2002. Rolls-Royce's flagship car, it was the fifth model to bear the Corniche name on its debut in January 2000. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive...
Rolls-Royce Motor CarsRolls-Royce Motor CarsRolls-Royce Motor Cars is a British manufacturer of luxury automobiles based at the Goodwood plant in West Sussex, England. It is the current producer of Rolls-Royce branded automobiles, whose historical production dates back to 1904. The factory is located across from the historic Goodwood Circuit...
vehicles
- 2003– Phantom
- 2007– Phantom Drophead CoupéRolls-Royce Phantom Drophead CoupéThe Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is a British handmade convertible manufactured by Rolls-Royce that debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on 7 January 2007. The platform is based on the 2003 Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from...
- 2008– Phantom CoupéRolls-Royce Phantom CoupéThe Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé is a British handmade luxury coupe manufactured by Rolls-Royce that debuted at the 2008 Geneva International Auto Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on 6 March 2008...
- 2010– Ghost