Rolls-Royce celebrate 110 years

Ghost Series II

Next Sunday, May 4, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will celebrate a special moment in British automotive history, writes Trish Whelan.

Charles Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce met for the first time on this date exactly 110 years ago and agreed to form the company that would become synonymous with the very best.

The Hon Charles Stewart Rolls (pictured left) was raised in aristocratic privilege and was a pioneer in a time when many people thought that motoring was just a fad that would soon pass.

He was a shrewd businessman and talented engineer. Rolls raced bicycles, motorcycles and motor cars and was an early fan of aviation, firstly with balloons and then aeroplanes. He funded his sporting activity by running a London-based car sales and service depot, CS Rolls and Co. The cars he sold were almost all imported and Rolls was frustrated by the lack of British initiative in this field.

Sir Henry Royce (pictured right) came from more humble beginnings. One of five children, he helped support his family selling newspapers for WH Smith and then became a telegraph boy for the Post Office. His luck changed when an aunt offered to pay for an apprenticeship at the Great Northern Railway Works which was the cradle of many great British engineers. He found work with the Electric Light and Power Company before setting up his own successful engineering business in Manchester. He now set out to design and build his own car, the 10hp 'Royce'. The car made its first journey from his factory in Manchester to his home in Knutsford, some 15 miles away on 1 April 1904 without mishap.

Following a suggestion from Claude Johnson, partner at CS Rolls and Co., and Henry Edmunds, Director of Royce Ltd, Rolls travelled to Manchester on 4 May 1904 to meet Henry Royce who was impressed with the 10hp car. He agreed to sell all the cars that Royce could build and said he had met 'the greatest engineer in the world'. It was also agreed that the cars would be known as Rolls-Royce motor cars. The company created by Charles and Henry had a simple philosophy - the pursuit of excellence.

Pictured above is the RR Ghost Series II from this year's Geneva Motor Show.