History of Rolls Royce: Why Rolls Royce cars are so expensive?
Rolls-Royce is renowned as the ultimate luxury car brand, thanks to its ultra-luxurious design, comfortable seats, and unparalleled elegance. It is widely regarded as the queen of cars and the only company capable of making your automotive dreams a reality. This is because it offers over 44,000 colors in its color card and some other unique colors not found elsewhere. In this article, we will explore the features and the history of Rolls Royce, how it became a hero from Zero, and why it has become a status symbol that only billionaires can afford. Before we dive into the key features that make it unique, let’s take a trip back in time to understand the History of Rolls Royce.
History of Rolls Royce:
Let’s start the History of Rolls Royce with its name. Rolls-Royce was named after two people: Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce. Charles Rolls was a mechanical engineer born in London in 1877. After completing his studies, he opened a showroom in the UK with a friend and imported and sold Peugeot motor cars from France and Minerva motor cars from Belgium.
On the other hand, Henry Royce was born in England in 1863 and was an electrical engineer. He was passionate about engineering and wanted to build his magnificent car. He devoted days and nights to fulfilling his dream, and finally, after twenty years of hard work, he produced a car he named the Royce 10.
One day, a friend of Charles Rolls was impressed with the car built by Royce and told Rolls about it. Until then, Rolls only sold foreign imported vehicles and was unhappy with them. He wanted to sell cars made in his country. When he heard about the car built by Royce, he immediately told his friend that he wanted to meet the man who created it.
Meeting of Rolls and Royce:
Rolls and Royce first met on May 4, 1904, in Manchester. Rolls was heavily influenced by Royce’s car design. Within minutes of seeing the Royce 10, Rolls decided only to sell cars made by Royce. He then offered Royce the opportunity to work with him, where Royce would make the car, and Rolls would sell all these cars under the Rolls-Royce name through its dealership. Royce accepted the offer, and both started working together.
Rolls-Royce presented its first car at the Paris Motor Show on December 23, 1904. Initially starting as a partnership, the brand was converted into a private limited company in 1906. In 1907, Rolls-Royce’s Silver Ghost won the title of The Best Car in the World after traveling non-stop from London to Glasgow 27 times, covering 14,371 miles. Despite its record-breaking success, the brand faced a setback when Charles Rolls, one of the founders, passed away in 1910. However, Henry Royce and Claude Johnson, the company’s managing director, continued to lead the brand forward. New car models were introduced, and the company started manufacturing engines for ships and aircraft. While the company had initially produced only one model, it realized the need to diversify and opened separate car and jet engine production factories. This article will focus on Rolls-Royce motor cars only.
Rolls Royce and Bentley:
Did you know that Rolls-Royce and Bentley, two famous British car brands, were once separate companies? Bentley started in Swansea, while Rolls-Royce was founded in Manchester. However, in 1931, Rolls-Royce purchased Bentley and continued to produce Bentley cars for almost seventy years. During this time, the Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars were almost identical, the only difference being the logo. People who preferred the Rolls-Royce logo could stick it on a Bentley and order it.
In the 1980s, both companies were purchased by Vickers Which, a Rolls-Royce and Bentley owner, but they were eventually sold to Volkswagen in 1998. Interestingly, BMW was also interested in purchasing Rolls-Royce, but Volkswagen was unwilling to sell. Finally, BMW bought Rolls-Royce, but the story of how they managed to do so is quite fascinating.
Why Volkswagen sold Rolls Royce Company:
In an interesting turn of events, Volkswagen found itself in possession of all the factories and employees of Rolls-Royce but without the rights to use the Rolls-Royce logo. On the other hand, BMW realized they couldn’t buy Rolls-Royce outright. It turned out that the owner of the Rolls-Royce logo was not an automobile company but an aerospace company. As you may already know, Rolls-Royce was split into two separate companies – one that made airplane engines and the other that made cars. In this case, the logo’s owner was an aircraft engine company.
BMW had to purchase the rights to use the logo from the aerospace company for $66 million. Volkswagen was worried because it owned Rolls-Royce’s factory and could manufacture cars, but it couldn’t put the Rolls-Royce logo on them because BMW had bought the rights. BMW was also making the engines used in Rolls-Royce vehicles, so it could stop supplying engines to Volkswagen on a year’s notice. This put Volkswagen in a difficult position – how could they build a car without an engine? Even if they managed to secure an engine, without the Rolls-Royce logo, who would buy the car?
Final Agreement between BMW and Volkswagen:
In the late nineties, Volkswagen sold the Rolls-Royce grille design and the Spirit of Ecstasy to BMW, and an agreement was reached between the two companies. According to this agreement, Volkswagen could manufacture and sell Rolls-Royce cars with all rights until 2002. However, from 2003 onwards, all the rights of Rolls-Royce would be given to BMW, and the Bentley car would be produced by Volkswagen. Finally, in 2003, BMW became the owner of Rolls-Royce. All Rolls-Royce cars are now manufactured and sold by BMW, and they are made in the UK, at the factory in Goodwood, West Sussex. Although some parts are ordered from Germany and other countries, they are all assembled at the Rolls-Royce factory in the UK.
Story of Nawab of Bahawalpur:
While discussing the history of Rolls Royce how can we skip a story about Nawab. There is a famous story about Rolls Royce. Once, the Nawab of Bahawalpur went to a Rolls Royce showroom in London and showed interest in buying a car. However, the salesman mistakenly thought that the Nawab was an ordinary Asian citizen and rudely told him that he couldn’t afford it. The Nawab felt insulted and left the showroom. Later, he instructed his employees to call the showroom and inform them that he wanted to buy all the Rolls Royce cars in the showroom.
The next day, he went to the showroom with an army of servants and bought all six vehicles. He then ordered that the cars be used to pick up garbage in his city. This caused a bad reputation for Rolls Royce, and the company’s owner apologized to the Nawab and requested that the vehicles be used for a better purpose. It is unclear whether this story is true or not, as similar stories have been linked to other Indian kings and Maharajas. After discussing the History of Rolls Royce let’s talk about why Rolls Royce are so expensive.
Why Rolls Royce cars are so expensive:
Rolls-Royce cars are known for their ultra-luxury and exclusivity. These cars are mostly owned by celebrities, kings, princes, or famous businessmen, and are handmade to ensure the highest quality. In fact, all the manufacturing work, including leather work, woodwork, and engine work, is done by hand, which takes around six months to complete. This is in contrast to other manufacturers, who are increasingly adopting advanced technologies like robots for speedy manufacturing. However, Rolls-Royce still has only four robots at its factory in Goodwood, two of which are used exclusively to apply primer to the car body before the final paint.
One of the reasons why Rolls-Royce cars are so expensive is due to their high-end features and exclusive design. Their cars are designed for the most comfortable and relaxing journey, which is why they are extremely quiet. Hundreds of kilos of insulating material are used to make it soundproof, resulting in a cabin that is practically silent. According to a report, Rolls-Royce cars are so quiet that even traveling at 100 KM/h, the ticking sound of the analog clock on the dashboard is also heard inside it.
Rolls-Royce also boasts an impressive sales record, with their sales hitting an all-time high in 2022. According to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, they sold 6021 vehicles to customers in 2022, which was 8% higher than the annual sales of 2021. The company’s sales in 2021 were 5586 cars. Interestingly, Rolls-Royce’s cheapest car is still priced at Rupees 10 crore or more, making it an exclusive and luxurious purchase.
Rolls-Royce cars are a symbol of luxury and exclusivity, with their handmade construction, high-end features, and impressive sales record making them a highly desirable purchase.
Leather Quality of Rolls Royce Cars:
Rolls-Royce cars are renowned for their luxurious interiors, and the leather used in the cabin is no exception. Interestingly, the leather used in Rolls-Royce cars is sourced from the skin of a bull rather than a cow. Before the leather is considered suitable for use, it goes through a stringent selection process. The leather experts at the company carefully scan the bull skin and remove any imperfections, including blemishes and insect bites.
Once this preliminary selection is done, the approved leather is subjected to a rigorous temperature-controlled process. The leather is kept in a chamber that cools to -10 degrees Celsius and then rapidly heats up to 100 degrees Celsius once every 24 hours for ten days. The leather that can withstand this pressure is then used in the car. It takes approximately 17 days to complete the cabin of a Rolls-Royce car, which uses leather taken from around 11 bulls.
Colours Choices in Rolls Royce Cars:
Rolls-Royce is a luxury car brand that offers a unique customization option to its customers. You can personalize your car by choosing the color of the leather seats, getting embroidery done on it, and even creating a logo. The car’s paint can also be customized, and the company offers over forty thousand color options to choose from. If you have a specific color in mind, the company can also manufacture your car in that color. Additionally, if you want your car to be painted with two different colors, Rolls-Royce can make that happen as well. The company designs every aspect of the car according to the customer’s preference, including the wood used in the interior. Rolls-Royce ensures that the wood is carefully selected and tested for quality. With this level of customization, you can have a truly unique and personalized Rolls-Royce that reflects your style and taste.
Paint of the Rolls Royce Cars:
Rolls Royce cars are painted with five layers of color which takes seven days to complete. The body paint alone weighs over 100 pounds and is polished for several hours to maximize its shine. The coach lines on a Rolls Royce car are made by a human being, Mark Court, who takes three hours to create a straight five-meter-long line on the body of the car. All doors of a Rolls Royce car open outward like normal doors, and there is a separate button for every function, including the car door lock.
Temperature Control & In-Car Night Sky Vision:
Rolls-Royce is a car brand that offers a unique and luxurious driving experience. The temperature setting in a Rolls-Royce is separated for each person sitting inside the car, allowing for custom temperature control for each individual from all four sides. Additionally, the car boasts an amazing feature called the “in-car night sky vision,” which provides a starry night sky glow inside the car, thanks to a starlight headliner consisting of 1,340 fiber optic lights, individually handcrafted and connected with 2 km of cables.
Spirit of Ecstasy:
Another iconic feature of the Rolls-Royce is the Spirit of Ecstasy figure attached to the front of every car, which alone is worth millions of dollars. Interestingly, the figure is automatically hidden if someone attempts to steal it. Moreover, the Rolls-Royce logo on the tires always remains upright and does not rotate with the tire, regardless of whether the car is moving at 100 kmph or stopped.
Today, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are sold in more than 50 countries around the world, with a primary target audience in North America, the United Kingdom, China, and Gulf countries. Overall, the brand’s attention to detail and commitment to luxury make driving a Rolls-Royce a unique and unforgettable experience. That was all about the features and history of Rolls Royce.
