Rolls-Royce

Charles Stewart Rolls, an aristocratic motoring and aviation enthusiast, met Frederick Henry Royce, a self-taught Manchester electrical engineer, on 4 May 1904. Royce had already built two experimental cars of remarkable refinement; Rolls agreed to sell all Royce's cars through his London dealership under the combined Rolls-Royce name. The Silver Ghost of 1907 earned worldwide recognition for near-supernatural refinement and reliability, cementing the "best car in the world" reputation that endures today. Rolls was killed in a flying accident in 1910; Royce died in 1933. The company carried their legacy through interwar magnificence, the Merlin aero engine programme of the Second World War, and post-war prestige models through to the Silver Shadow of 1965 which modernised the range entirely. BMW acquired the Rolls-Royce name and trademark in 1998, opening the Goodwood factory in 2003. Under BMW, Rolls-Royce launched a succession of world-class models: Phantom (2003), Ghost (2009), Wraith (2013), Dawn (2015), Cullinan SUV (2018), and the electric Spectre (2023).