Since 1904, Rolls-Royce has stood for everything that luxury and comfort can offer on four wheels: vehicles crafted by hand with exclusive leather and precious wood finishings.
But behind the story is the biography of two very different men who created "the best car in the world" out of virtually nothing. It is a history of many highlights and tragedy.
It was on May 4, 1904 that Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce met for the first time in the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The two men could not be more different. Rolls was the wealthy son of an aristocrat, Royce a self-made businessman.
Born in 1863, Royce grew up in poverty as the fifth child of James Royce and Mary King. At the age of 10 he had to supplement the family income by selling newspapers and later worked as a telegraph boy.
His fate took a turn for the better when an aunt found him a job as an apprentice at the Great Northern Railway Works.
There Royce's natural talent for engineering was soon discovered. At the age of 21 he managed to establish with a friend his own firm, F.H. Royce & Co, producing electrical components and door knobs.
Charles Stewart Rolls was born 14 years later than Royce in the year 1877 as the third son of Lord and Lady Llangattock. He studied engineering at Cambridge and took part in races with everything that moved, from bicycles and motorcycles to cars.
In 1902 Rolls became a car trader, opening CS Rolls & Co in London. For a time in 1903, Rolls held the world speed record, driving a car at 150kph.
But there was something that really troubled him. All the cars he sold were imports and England was at the time still a developing country as far as motor vehicle production was concerned.
Royce was also familiar with the imports. In the course of the years he had become a wealthy man. There was a stock flotation in 1894 of his firm, which was by then building electric engines and electric cranes.
Taking an interest in the new technology he bought a French Decauville. But he soon was annoyed by the car's unreliability. Royce was not even satisfied after rebuilding the Decauville. He built his own car.
After the maiden drive in his car was a successs, he built two more cars -- one for his business partner Ernest Claremont and one for his friend Henry Edmunds, who was so thrilled with the car that he told a friend about it.
This friend, Claude Johnson, was a partner of Rolls.
Thereafter followed the first meeting of Rolls and Royce. After a test drive with the Royce car, Rolls was thrilled.
The 41-year-old businessman and the 27-year-old aristocrat quickly found common ground.
It was decided that Rolls would sell all the cars that Royce could build. The cars would be marketed under the name Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. In December 1904 the company presented two-, three- and four-cylinder cars at the Paris Motor Show.
But the real myth was created by a model presented in 1906. At first it was only known as the 40/50 HP.
But the 12th car produced was in complete silver livery and was soon known by the name Silver Ghost. Ultimately the entire model line was known under that name.
Meanwhile Claude Johnson, a manager of the company, soon emerged as an advertising genius. He allegedly announced that this new six-cylinder Rolls-Royce was not only one of the best but "the best car in the world."
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