In fact, Rolls-Royce has been a special car for the British royal family for decades. Many members of the British royal family, such as Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and the Duke of Kent, have used Rolls Royce. The king of Saudi Arabia and the prince of Japan also have a soft spot for Rolls-Royce. Although the current royal family is only a modern fairy tale in the castle, Rolls-Royce has been writing this fairy tale for nearly a century. ...
The perfect combination of prince and commoner.
Henry Royce, one of the founders of Rolls-Royce, 1863 was born in Petersburg, England. His father died of illness at the age of 9, and he was forced to sell newspapers in the street to support his mother and aunt. Because of his poor family, little Henry, like most poor children at that time, was an apprentice in a railway company as a teenager. After years of hard work, Henry, who worked part-time, became an engineer in an electrical appliance company at the age of 19, which mostly benefited from his attitude of striving for perfection in everything. Henry is very good at expressing his ideas with Victorian aphorisms. He often said: "Little things produce perfection, but perfection is not a small thing. As long as it is done right, it is noble to be humble. "
Like most mechanical geniuses, Henry has an amazing talent for making cars. 1902, he bought a car called de Courvill. At that time, Decoville was a very good brand. But this French car doesn't listen to its owner's words, and it always has some minor problems, which makes Henry very disappointed. He vowed to design his own 1 2 cylinder engine car. 1904, after repeated modifications and running-in, the first car designed and manufactured by Henry Royce himself drove out of the gate of his factory.
Compared with Henry, another founder of Rolls-Royce, Charlie Rouse is a gentleman of upper class. Born in 1877, Charlie, who came from a noble family, is the third son of Lord Langetek in England, and his family can be described as a worthy family of British giants. Charlie graduated from Cambridge University. He is handsome, personable and adventurous. He was the earliest car enthusiast in Britain at that time and one of the earliest car racing promoters. When Charlie was still studying in Cambridge, he bought a Peugeot car, which was the first car in his life. The leisurely campus time has enabled Charlie to practice solid and reliable driving skills. When he graduated from Cambridge, he was already a famous driver. He took the lead in completing the reliability test of 1000 miles and won a special gold medal. Not only that, this handsome, personable and adventurous mechanical engineer is also very popular in the upper class of London, which is quite a bit like a party prince. Good communication skills and aristocratic background have accumulated a wide range of contacts for Charlie, laying a solid foundation for Charlie to establish Rolls-Royce Motor Company in the future.
1902, Charlie started the car business, and his Rolls-Royce company soon became one of the most powerful car dealers in Britain. But Rouse has always had two wishes: first, he hopes that his name can be associated with high-quality cars; Second, I hope to find a car made in England, the quality of which is as good as or even better than the foreign car he sold at that time. To this end, Charlie has been looking for opportunities. It was not until 1904 that he saw the two-cylinder engine car produced by Rice in Manchester and was greatly shocked. The start button of this car runs very smoothly and quietly, unlike the car at that time, which often breaks down. Rawls immediately realized that this was the high-quality car he wanted. He immediately borrowed Les's car to go to London and introduced it to his partner Claude Johnson. They rejoiced in their hearts and thought that Mr. Rice was a mechanical genius that they had discovered would dominate the world. This wonderful encounter at Midland Hotel has made Rolls-Royce a classic brand symbolizing aristocratic status in the future.
Perhaps, Charlie's aristocratic lineage brought extraordinary temperament to Rolls-Royce from the beginning, or perhaps, Henry's meticulous spirit made Rolls-Royce almost perfect in the car world. In a word, the steadiness of civilians and the splendor of nobles, and the joint efforts of Rolls and Les bring us not only a means of transportation, but also a perfect attitude towards making cars.
1904 14 In February, the first Les car was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show, which caused a great sensation. Subsequently, a historic agreement was signed in the UK, and Rolls-Royce became the only company with the right to sell Les cars in the UK. Les cars were officially renamed as Rolls-Royce. For the future development, Rolls-Royce, which is still in its infancy, has no further ideas, but under the powerful combination of forces, all this seems insignificant.
The legend of the blade angel
Just as Rolls-Royce has two founders, Rolls-Royce also has two quite famous symbols. Double "r" and "flying goddess" The double "R" pattern is overlapped with two "R", which symbolizes that you have me and I have you, and reflects the harmonious relationship between Rolls Royce, the founder of the company. The overlapping "R" also represents a sincere and permanent combination of the two.
There is a magical story about the origin of another symbol of Rolls-Royce, "Goddess of Flying":191/year, introduced by a friend Sir montague, Rolls-Royce met Charles Sykes, a painter and sculptor of the famous German magazine Automotive Illustrated, and he begged Charles Sykes to design a sculpture trademark for Rolls-Royce. After some hard thinking, the image of Sykes, a 2,000-year-old statue of the goddess of victory in the art corridor of the Louvre in Paris, appears in the mind of sculptor Charlie from time to time. Based on the creation of Goddess of Victory, Charles designed the "flying goddess", which means the soul of speed, with Miss Shaunton from Our Society as the model. On February 6th, 19 1 1, the goddess of flight came to Rolls-Royce, and its opening ceremony was as grand and enthusiastic as the first Rolls-Royce rolled off the assembly line.
If something is rare, its price is high-the rarer the better.
Speaking of the craftsmanship of Rolls-Royce, it sounds a little fairy tale. Indeed, for more than a hundred years, Rolls-Royce, as a symbol of the British royal family and nobility, has an unattainable awe for most people. As we know, the Germans invented the car, the French invented the car race, the Americans established the position of the car in society, and the British left a classic brand on the car, especially their classic craftsmanship.
Rare things are precious. Since its establishment, Rolls-Royce has always insisted on manual production. This practice of pursuing quality and grade without quantity will inevitably make it expensive. However, this scarcity also highlights the rights and glory of its owners to some extent. Its spiritual value has far exceeded its use value.
As a symbol of wealth, to this day, Rolls-Royce engines are all made by hand. What's even more amazing is that the radiator grille on the front of Rolls-Royce is completely completed by skilled workers with their hands and eyes, without any measuring tools. A worker spends a whole day making a radiator, and then spends five hours polishing it. What is even more amazing is that since 1904, Rolls-Royce Motor Company has only produced 1 15000 vehicles for more than one hundred years. Because the materials, technology, management and testing of each car are first-class, it is durable, safe and reliable. Take interior materials as an example, every Rolls-Royce car has its own peach texture, which is recorded in the book, and has exactly the same spare materials for maintenance and replacement.
Here, I have to mention the flying goddess on the front of Rolls-Royce. Don't underestimate this small and exquisite logo. Its manufacturing process is very complicated and needs to go through many processes. The process is extremely cumbersome. Firstly, the traditional wax mold process is adopted to manually press the mold; Then hand-polished for at least 8 times; Then put the polished Goddess of Flying into a machine full of mixed grinding substances for grinding for 64 minutes; Finally, only after strict inspection can it be considered qualified.
Charlie Rouse once said, "Rolls-Royce will never settle for second best. Rolls-Royce cars have never been and will never be mass produced. " Every Rolls-Royce with many traditional features (such as body lines) has to invest more than 260 man-hours, and it is done by hand. Most of the craftsmen who created these "masterpieces" have worked for more than 30 years and mastered the ancestral car-making technology. A few young expert craftsmen are also recruited within the British Automobile Industry Association.
Some people will say that Rolls-Royce is a 2 1 century car, which is an organic combination of traditional skills and modern machinery. We don't deny that mechanical instruments may be much more accurate than traditional methods, but we can't find the defects of leather. Only a well-trained human eye and highly sensitive fingers can ensure that Rolls-Royce uses the highest quality leather and the finest wood. What makes Rolls-Royce expensive is that all these hand-made artworks are unique.
Looking back on the Rolls-Royce era
The real arrival of the Rolls-Royce era should be counted from the birth of the first Rolls-Royce SilverGhost in 1907. It is called a silver ghost because it is very quiet during driving, just like a ghost.
1907 The silver ghost, which made its debut at the Paris Motor Show, attracted widespread attention, and its golden bell-shaped top radiator was very eye-catching. To this day, this style is still an irreplaceable design element of Rolls-Royce. The design concept of the car is also very different from other brands at that time. For example, in order to let passengers get off in the most elegant posture, the door is designed as a carriage-stepping type and the door is opened backwards. Such details made it recognized by the press at that time as the best car in the world.
In addition to its unique appearance, Yingui also has advanced technology: forced lubrication. The output power of the 6-cylinder 7L engine is as high as 36kW, and the maximum speed can reach 1 10 km/h ... The durability of continuous driving over 22,500 km was definitely a world record at that time. In World War I, Silver Ghost was appointed as an armored vehicle, which showed amazing performance and reliability in the hot desert. Its legendary deeds in the First World War are often praised. By 1924, Rolls-Royce had produced 6 173 silver ghosts, all of which were made by hand. The silver ghost established Rolls-Royce's position in the world car world, and its prestige soon spread overseas.
After the Silver Ghost, Rolls-Royce ushered in the Phantom Age. 1925 May, Phantom was born. Its skeleton is basically the same as that of its predecessors, and its power system adopts an in-line 6-cylinder 7.7L engine. It is said that its power can reach up to 74kW, which is higher than that of supercharged engine. Phantom I was produced in Britain and America at the same time until 193 1 stopped production.
A few years after Phantom I was born, Phantom II and Phantom II "continent" also appeared. They were all avant-garde designs at that time, with smooth lines and overall elegance. Phantom II made its debut at 1929 London Olympic Auto Show. Compared with Phantom I, the engine has not changed much, only the aluminum cylinder head is selected, the chassis has some modern designs, and the front and rear axles are equipped with semi-elliptical leaf springs. Through exquisite design, the body height of Phantom II is significantly reduced. The engine, clutch and transmission are designed as a whole, separated from the chassis and no longer fixed on it as before.
1935 5438+June 00, Phantom III was put into production, which was the first time Rolls-Royce was equipped with 12 cylinder 7.3L engine. The ride comfort of Phantom III is very good. You can't hear much wind noise at high speed, and the vibration is smaller than that of ordinary 12 cylinder cars. And the independent front suspension is adopted, which saves a lot of mechanical space and helps to arrange the engine more reasonably. Phantom III had many advantages, but it failed in the end. This is mainly because it does not solve the problem of engine cooling. On the highway, after Phantom III reaches the maximum speed, it won't be long before the engine "boils". Although improvements were made, the bad reputation spread, and Phantom III soon lost its market. Production stopped as soon as 727 vehicles were produced.
193 1 year, Rolls-Royce acquired Bentley Motor Company. Many people misunderstand that Bentley is famous for its luxury cars. In fact, its fame comes from sports cars and Le Mans.
The relationship between Rolls-Royce and the British royal family began in the 1930s. During World War II, Prins Carl Philip once tested a Bentley with an inline 8-cylinder engine, and spoke highly of it. After World War II, Rolls-Royce specially produced Phantom IV for the British royal family. It is designed on the chassis of Silver Ghost, and the highest speed can reach 160km/h/h ... Mirage has produced four 18 vehicles, which is extremely precious. Due to the rise of Rolls-Royce, the Daimler brand 19 10 entered the royal family and gradually lost the favor of the royal family.
1April 1955, Rolls-Royce SilverCloud became the best-selling model in the market. After a series of improvements, Yinyun I and Yinyun ii were born one after another. 1959, Rolls-Royce introduced Phantom V on the basis of Silver Cloud II. Phantom V has four headlights like Phantom IV, but the difference is that Phantom IV has two air conditioning systems, one for the driver and the other for the passengers. At this time, the processing and production of Rolls-Royce still adopts the old-fashioned method. When new technologies and new design trends appeared, Rolls-Royce began to show its old age.
During the period of 1955- 1965, Rolls-Royce only made some minor changes, such as changing the compression ratio of the engine and adjusting the seats. Rolls-Royce feels that their cars can't satisfy consumers' tastes in styling, and needs a new model to revive the brand. who is it? This is the famous Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. This is the first Rolls-Royce car with a load-bearing body, and it is also the best-selling Rolls-Royce car. /kloc-in 0/6, * * * sold 34,000 cars, which was also the last Rolls-Royce brand car that still maintained some classic features. During this period, the management of the company has actually realized that everyone must keep pace with the times, and Rolls-Royce is no exception. Silver shadow is also a product of keeping up with the times. Silver Shadow 1983 was discontinued, and the front facade of the car can fully represent the style of Rolls-Royce.
197 1 In March, Yinying had a branch line model, which was Rolls-Royce Corniche. The car has a top speed of 200 km/h. In order to ensure good braking effect, ventilated disc brakes are used for the first time on Rolls-Royce.
1980, Rolls-Royce Motor Company was acquired by Vexcor. Vexcor has many businesses, mainly defense equipment and engines, and the famous Cosworth is the brand of Vexcor. In the same year, Rolls-Royce made another brand change. SilverSpirit and SilverSpur have become the new protagonists of the car factory.
1988 Rolls-Royce introduced No.2 Binhai Road, and 1989 Binhai Road No.3 started production. 199 1 year rolls-royce Binhai road series was discontinued. This not only means the end of Binhai Road, but also symbolizes the historical mission of Rolls-Royce Baijia manual production base. Parkward has countless luxury Rolls Royce, and the tinkling years will eventually be replaced by the silent night color. Rolls-Royce's production base is no longer Parkward.
199 1 year, vexcor group intends to sell rolls-royce, and the buyers are not limited to Britain. Obviously, Vexcor wants BMW to take over Rolls-Royce. In the late 1990s, there was a wave of mergers in the international automobile industry, and those well-known brands were monopolized by automobile giants one after another, and Rolls-Royce was no exception. In the end, BMW obtained the right to use the name and logo of Rolls-Royce for $68 million on the grounds that it announced that it would stop supplying engines to Rolls-Royce, but BMW allowed the public to use its name. By the end of 2002, Volkswagen could produce Rolls-Royce Silver Angels in Crewe, England, until June 65438+February 3 1, 2002, when the production right of Silver Angels was handed over to BMW.
1998, Rolls-Royce launched the Silver Seraphim, and in 2003, Rolls-Royce officially belonged to BMW Group. In order to commemorate the contribution of crewe car factory in England, the car factory specially produced 170 limited edition Silver Angel as a souvenir. The limited edition Silver Angel is unique in that there is a silver metal nameplate on the back of the front wheel, which reads Rolls-royce Motor Cars Crewe, England, and is painted with a diagonal flag. 170 limited edition silver angel is Rolls-Royce's swan song as a British aristocrat.
In 2003, a brand-new phantom appeared in front of global car fans. As the latest Rolls-Royce released by BMW after taking over Rolls-Royce, the designer of this car is only in his twenties, and some people loyal to the Rolls-Royce brand are deeply uneasy about it, but the new phantom has dispelled their doubts. This talented designer carefully studied the Rolls-Royce models in the past 100 years. Especially in the 1930s, some features of Rolls-Royce models were incorporated into the design of new cars, such as the large front hood and small proportion of windows, which met the requirements of modern rich people for car privacy, so it was very popular in Europe, America and Asia. The appearance of phantom makes die-hard Rolls-Royce fans realize that although BMW's logo has been printed on its heart, the style of the whole car still continues the classic style of Rolls-Royce. Although the Rolls-Royce brand no longer belongs to Britain, it will always belong to this world.
Since the establishment of 1904, Rolls-Royce's factory has gone through six relocations, during which it changed its owners several times, creating a series of ups and downs, but it has never shaken its leading position in the world automobile industry. "Noble in the car" is not an empty slogan, it embodies the beliefs, standards and persistence of Rolls Royce people who pursue perfection from generation to generation. This truth is not limited to making cars, but can be extended to the origin of all successful things. What readers can get in Rolls-Royce's 100-year history is not only advanced technical principles and fragments of luxurious life, but also a life attitude of striving for perfection.
Link: Now Rolls-Royce cars have become a status symbol, and the owners are people with certain status. According to different sales targets, Rolls-Royce Motor Company has developed three series of cars. Among them, the black and blue "Silver Spirit" series is aimed at heads of government, senior state officials and titled nobles; The neutral color "Silver Feather" series is a gentleman and celebrity; White and light gray "Silver Shadow" series are sold to monopolists and entrepreneurs.