The ‘best car in the world’

The first car designed and made by Sir Henry Royce (1863-1933) was a 2-cylinder 10HP model in 1904, closely followed by the 3-cylinder 15HP, the 4-cylinder 20HP,  the 6-cylinder 30HP and the powerful V-8. The sports version successfully raced in the Isle of Man in 1905-6. Royce’s mechanical expertise, his very high standards and his keenness to learn from each new distance and time trial, meant that innovative additions were made quickly and effectively to successive models.

On teaming up with Charles Rolls (1877-1910), the company of Rolls-Royce was born and proceeded to give us the most prestigious, reliable and elegant cars in the world. For example, from 1950 to 1956, just eighteen Rolls-Royce Phantoms were produced and almost all were sold to heads of state, including Queen Elizabeth II. Their smoothness and quiet ride made them ideal for parading.

Rolls-Royce represents the pinnacle of motor manufacturing, with models such as the Silver Ghost (dubbed ‘the best car in the world’ in the 1910s/20s), the Phantom, the Silver Shadow and the Corniche still revered and treasured by enthusiasts. In 1998 Rolls-Royce came under German ownership, but it is still being produced in the UK at Goodwood in the south of England.

(Image: Jack Snell at Flickr.com / CC BY-ND 2.0)