What is Rolls-Royce?
Rolls-Royce is a famous British name associated with luxury cars and aircraft engines. The original company was founded by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1906. Today, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is owned by BMW, while Rolls-Royce Holdings makes engines.
Henry Royce, an engineer, and Charles Rolls, a car dealer, met in 1904. Their first car, the Rolls-Royce 10 hp, was praised for its quality.
The Silver Ghost, introduced in 1907, was called the best car in the world because of its reliability and smoothness.
Engines and cars
Rolls-Royce engines powered aircraft in both world wars, including the Merlin engine used in the Spitfire. Today, Rolls-Royce Holdings makes engines for airliners, ships and power systems.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, based in Goodwood, West Sussex, has been owned by BMW since 2003. Its models include the Phantom, Ghost and Cullinan, and the electric Spectre.
Rolls-Royce cars are famous for the Spirit of Ecstasy, a figure of a woman leaning forward with arms outstretched, on the bonnet.
The name Rolls-Royce is often used to describe the best example of something, as in the Rolls-Royce of vacuum cleaners.