A car that needs no introduction is the Rolls Royce. With a perfectly designed and engineered interior, worldly comfort and advanced technology, no wonder it’s the car of choice for the whos of who of the world, from self-made millionaires to celebrities and even the royals.
Established in 1904 in Manchester United Kingdom by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, it doesn’t take much to figure out how the name Rolls-Royce came into being!
But there’s more to it than meets the eye and we couldn’t hold off the desire to entertain our readers with some unearthing and mind-blowing facts they probably don’t know about this timeless and exclusive beauty.
- Come a Long Way: From 10 Horsepower to Now 624
“A work of art was once a work in progress”, and the Rolls Royce is no stranger to this saying.
Back in 1940, 10 horsepower was generated by a 1.8-liter two-cylinder engine. An aptly named Royce 10 engine was powered by a three-bearing crankshaft and twin camshafts.
In order to get everything moving, the mill was mated to a three-speed manual transmission.
Fast forward to today, the Rolls-Royce Wraith is the most powerful car ever built by the British brand. The V12 engine delivers a staggering 624 horsepower from its 6.6-liter capacity.
This in itself is proof to how far Rolls Royce has come ever since the inception of its first-ever car- the Royce 10, one that only generated as little as 10 hp.
This top-speed 624 horsepower performance in the Wraith model has really given rise to Rolls Royce rentals in Dubai.
- The Iconic Masterpiece- the Spirit of Ecstacy
The flying lady ornament on the hood of every Rolls Royce is called the Spirit of Ecstacy and is one of the most valued automobile centerpieces on the globe.
An interesting tid-bit surrounds this centerpiece. Although shrouded in scandal, legend says, it was first used on a car commissioned in 1911 by a car collector named Baron John Edward Scott-Montagu.
It is believed that the lady figure is based on Eleanor Thornton, who was his secretary and then mistress.
The sculpture’s initial prototypes included her finger resting between her lips as a nod at their protracted relationship.
Thornton perished at sea in 1915, but the sculptor Charles Sykes adopted a modified design that is still present on all Rolls-Royce automobiles today.
But the story doesn’t end there. The ‘spirit of ecstasy’ mascot has been expertly engineered by the Rolls Royce team with a safety feature. Anytime someone tries to damage or steal it, it automatically hides inside the bonnet.
This centerpiece was a property that Volkswagen possessed when it sold Rolls-Royce to BMW in 2002. BMW had to pay a whopping $40 million to Volkswagen to receive coveted ownership of this sculpted masterpiece.
- Beyond the Road and Into the Sky
A few automakers have expanded their expertise from the ground to the air. For instance, Piaggio and Honda, famous for making scooters and cars/motorcycles, respectively, provide opulent private aircraft options.
In order to produce aircraft, Mitsubishi and Toyota have also cooperated. Before World War I, BMW produced aircraft engines.
The fact that Rolls-Royce has been producing airplane engines since 1914 is an ode to how strong it is. This fact is not widely known till date.
- A Logo that’s One Step Ahead
A Rolls Royce vehicle’s center branding logo cap never rotates!
The center cap displaying the Rolls Royce branding insignia on the wheel of a Rolls Royce remains fixed, thanks to the installation of anti-rotators that ensure that the Rolls Royce logo is always visible.
Don’t forget to take notice of this remarkable feature the next time you encounter a Rolls Royce.
- Painting Stripes- A One Man Job at Rolls Royce
All Rolls-Royce automobiles have had their stripes painted by the skillful hands of a man named Mark Court for the last 19 years.
Mark Court, according to reports, has been performing this sophisticated labor since the Rolls Royce Goodwood plant debuted in 2003, earning a six-figure pay.
Because the pinstripe overlay is a unique kind that adheres to the car’s paint right away, any mistakes would require repainting the entire vehicle. And therefore it makes total sense why Rolls Royce only trusts one talented person for the job given how meticulous the process is and how little opportunity there is for error!
- Only the Best Leather Interior
Luxury car and upholstery enthusists praise the advantages of Rolls Royce’s exclusive usage of bull pelts for upholstery. It avoids using cow skin since pregnant cows are more likely to develop stretch marks.
In addition, these bulls are only sourced from Europe, where they may graze at high altitudes without encountering mosquitoes or other insects, reducing bite marks. The Rolls Royce automobile uses almost 8 bulls of leather for its interior.
- Attention to Detail & Handmade to Perfection
Did you know that during monsoon water tests, engineers use an endoscope to inspect cavities in the car to make sure no moisture gets inside? What occurs if an automobile breaks down? It is discarded.
Furthermore, lead test and analysis engineers were instructed to wear shorts when testing the drop-top Rolls-Royce Dawn so they could feel for any drafts around their legs and feet.
Oh! We completely failed to mention that this testing took place in January at a temperature of three degrees celsius. If that doesn’t showcase commitment to finer details, we don’t know anything else that does!
The world as we know it is owned by technology and robots. But even now, Rolls-Royce continues to construct its engines using only human labor.
The car still has a lot of handcrafted components. In the entire Rolls Royce factory, there are just four robots, two of which are responsible for applying the cars’ primary coat of paint; the remaining labor is completed entirely by one person (previously mentioned- Mark Court).
Since many Rolls owners are ardent art collectors, Rolls also succeeded in transforming the current Phantom’s dashboard into a gallery space: a section of toughened glass spans the whole width of the dashboard. Whatever you want to put in there is acceptable.
However, before final assembly, each and every component that goes into creating a Phantom gallery is thoroughly cleaned by hand in a particle-proof clean room. Two people need two hours to finish this. Some work indeed!
There’s something in it for the music lovers too. Audio data is transferred via more than 25m of wiring. The usage of fiber-optic cabling ensures protection against interference. So go ahead and hit your favorite tunes- Alexa Play Levitating by Dua Lipa!
- Capturing User Imagination with a Thrilling Experience
In 2020, Rolls Royce introduced the Kryptos Edition, a special edition of the Wraith. and offered buyers an exciting and enjoyable task where 50 cars each had a series of secret encrypted messages.
The customer would receive a reward of some kind for cracking the cryptographic puzzle. Only two people, the CEO of the firm, Torsten Müller-tvös, and Rolls Royce Bespoke designer Katrin Lehmann were aware of the solution to the car’s code.
The CEO’s office at the brand’s headquarters in Goodwood, West Sussex, reportedly contained the answer, which was secured inside a sealed envelope.
Through a dedicated smartphone app, customers could send Rolls-Royce their attempts to decipher the code.
- 65% of Rolls Royce Cars Still Going Strong
We wanted to keep the best for last! Approximately 65% of the Rolls-Royce vehicles ever made are still in use and it is a source of the greatest pride for any automaker.
Now that you know how powerful and opulent Rolls Royce vehicles are, why not do this vehicle justice. On a related point, Rolls Royce dealerships are far too exclusive to simply stroll in and purchase. And if purchasing isn’t on the cards for you, we suggest you visit a leading car rental marketplace such as OneClickDrive where you will find the best and cost-effective options for Rolls Royce rentals in Dubai.
Feel free to see the Spirit of Ecstasy’s splendor and the unblemished bull upholstery for yourself.
