Rolls-Royce – Frederick Henry Royce started a business, making his first car, a Royce, in 1904. He was introduced to Charles Stewart Rolls  that year. The pair entered into a partnership in which Royce would manufacture cars to be sold exclusively by Rolls, and the cars would be called Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce was a British luxury car and later an aero engine manufacturing business established in 1904 by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce.  In 1884 Henry Royce started an electrical and mechanical business. He made his first car, a two-cylinder Royce 10, in his Manchester factory in 1904. Henry Royce was introduced to Charles Rolls at the Midland Hotel, Manchester on 4 May of that year. Rolls was proprietor of an early motor car dealership, C.S.Rolls & Co. in Fulham.

 

Headquarters Goodwood, West Sussex, England, United Kingdom

phantom jonckheere coupe 1924

The 1924 Rolls Royce Phantom l with a convertible body by Hooper was  sent to the Jonckheere brothers in Belgium for its new hand-crafted fantastic Art Deco body. 

The car was fitted with a 6-cylinder, 7.66L OHV inline six engine and a 4-speed manual transmission and would easily travel at 161 km/h. The body was completely hand fabricated to include round doors, split-opening half-moon windows, twin sunroofs, bespoke luggage and a stabilizing fin at the rear.

phantom hooper limo 1951

The Rolls-Royce Phantom IV is a British automobile produced by Rolls-Royce. Only eighteen were made between 1950 and 1956, sold only to buyers whom Rolls-Royce considered worthy of the distinction: the British royal family and heads of state. Sixteen are known to still exist in museums as well as in public and private collections. Rolls-Royce broke with their earlier decision to cease production of the series of "big" Rolls-Royce Phantoms after the end of World War II. The Phantom IV chassis differed from those of the shorter, production post-War models, the Silver Wraith and the Bentley Mark VI; apart from a larger size and an engine with increased capacity and power, they have an additional cross-member at the centre of the cruciform bracing and 10-stud road wheel mountings. The engine was a derivative of the 8-cylinder rationalized B range of petrol engines (formed by four, six and straight eight). Specifically it was a refined version of a B80, the last three of a B81, both used in military and commercial vehicles. The IV is the only Rolls-Royce motorcar to be fitted with a straight-8 engine, which was powerful but could also run long distances at a very low speed, an important feature for ceremonial and parade cars. All examples of this exclusive series were bodied by independent coachbuilders, and most of their bonnets surmounted by the kneeling version of the Spirit of Ecstasy, which had been unveiled in 1934 and used in various other models.

Hooper & Co. was a British coachbuilding business for many years based in Westminster London.

phantom V 1959-1968

The Rolls-Royce Phantom V is a large four-door limousine produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from 1959 to 1968. Based on the Silver Cloud II, it shared a V8 engine and General Motors Hydra-Matic automatic gearbox with that model. The engine was a 6,230 cc 90-degree V8 with twin SU carburetors, coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

 Between 1959 and 1968 there were 832 total built

phantom V park ward 1961

The Rolls-Royce Phantom V is a large four-door limousine produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from 1959 to 1968. Based on the Silver Cloud II, it shares a V8 engine and General Motors Hydra-Matic automatic gearbox with that model.

Rolls-Royce assembled the cars' chassis and drivetrains with bodies made to standard designs by coachbuilders Park Ward and James Young, former vendors absorbed by Rolls-Royce.

The engine is a 6.230 cc 90-degree V8 with twin SU carburettors, coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission. The car has massive drum brakes and a wheelbase of 3.683 mm. Power-assisted steering was standard. A shallow gear gave a walking speed which was suitable for ceremonies.

From 1963 onward, the Silver Cloud III's 7% more powerful engine and new front wings (incorporating the latter's quad headlamps) were fitted.

Of the 832 total built phantom V"s between 1959 and 1968, James Young made 217 bodies. Park Ward, owned by Rolls-Royce, made 607 bodies. In 1962, H. J. Mulliner & Co. was merged by Rolls-Royce with Park Ward to form Mulliner Park Ward. Prior to the merger, eight Phantom Vs had been made by H.J. Mulliner.

mulliner park ward

Mulliner Park Ward was a coachbuilder formed as a subsidiary by Rolls-Royce in 1961 to supply it custom bodywork for its automobiles. Located in Hythe Road, Willesden, London, it was created by merging two existing Rolls-Royce properties, Park Ward of Willesden, London, a subsidiary since 1939 and H. J. Mulliner & Co. of Chiswick, a subsidiary since 1959. It principally built bodies and interiors for Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars, but also others such as Alvis.[citation needed] The coachbuilding business closed in 1991 but the Mulliner name is used for the personal commissioning department of the current Bentley manufacturer.

silver cloud mkIII drophead coupe & convertible 1963-1966

The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud is a luxury automobile produced  from April 1955 to March 1966. It was the core model of the Rolls-Royce range during that period. The Silver Cloud replaced the Silver Dawn and was, in turn, replaced by the Silver Shadow. The J. P. Blatchley design was a major change from the pre-war models and the highly derivative Silver Dawn. As part of a range rationalisation the Bentley S1 is very similar, apart from its radiator grille. The Silver Cloud III was first displayed to the public at the Paris salon at the beginning of October 1962 

As with earlier models, Rolls-Royce continued to make the Silver Cloud chassis available to traditional coachbuilders. A notable version is the Fixed Head and Drop Head Coupe styled by Mulliner Park Ward, having unusual slanted headlights, also found on contemporary Italian designed or Italian-influenced high performance cars from Lancia, Triumph, Lagonda and Gordon-Keeble. It was derived from the earlier H. J. Mulliner & Co. design for the Bentley S1 and S2 Continentals, made also available for the S3. Some 100 of the 328 coach-built Silver Cloud IIIs were of this style.

phantom V mulliner landaulette 1966

A phantom V as landaulet, also known as a landaulette, is a car body style where the rear passengers are covered by a convertible top. After WWII landaulets were unfashionable and built only as parade cars for heads of state.

corniche

The Rolls-Royce Corniche is a two-door, front-engine, rear wheel drive luxury car produced by Rolls-Royce Motors as a hardtop coupé (from 1971 to 1980) and as a convertible (from 1971 to 1995 and 1999 to 2002).

The Corniche was a development of the Mulliner Park Ward two-door versions of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. These were designated as the 2-door Saloon and Drophead Coupé, introduced in 1965 and 1966 respectively. Production remained in London at Mulliner Park Ward; the new name was applied in March 1971.

The Corniche draws its name from the experimental 1939 Corniche prototype. The name originally comes from the French word corniche, a coastal road, especially along the face of a cliff, most notably the Grande Corniche along the French Riviera above the principality of Monaco.

corniche mkIĀ  2dĀ  1971-1980

The Corniche MKI, available as coupé or convertible, used the standard Rolls-Royce 6.75L V8 engine with an aluminium-silicon alloy block and aluminium cylinder heads with cast iron wet cylinder liners. 

A three-speed automatic transmission (a Turbo Hydramatic 400 sourced from General Motors) was standard.

Corniche models received Bosch KE/K-Jetronic fuel injection in 1977. This engine, called the L410I, produced approximately 240 PS at just above 4000 rpm for a top speed of 190 km/h.

Production totaled 1090 Rolls-Royce Corniche Saloons, 3239 Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertibles, 69 Bentley Corniche Saloons and 77 Bentley Corniche Convertibles.

The Corniche was popular with high income celebrities.

A Bentley version of the Corniche was also produced. It became known as the Bentley Continental.

corniche mkII convertibleĀ  1986-1989

The Corniche II name was applied for the United States market from 1986 and for other markets from 1988. Anti-lock brakes were added for 1988, but air bags would not be available until the Corniche III. Also new for 1988 were some detail changes to the interior. Later in 1988 there was also a new reverse warning lens type and pattern around the rear license plate, as well as newly designed seats and redesigned instrumentation.

1234 examples of the Corniche II were produced.

The Corniche III was introduced at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show with new alloy wheels, color-coded bumpers, a more advanced suspension system, air bags and MK-Motronic fuel injections. Minor interior changes included a revised dashboard, console and seats. 452 were made.

corniche mkV convertible 2000-2002

The Rolls-Royce Corniche V is a high end, two-door, four-seater luxury convertible car, that was produced in the United Kingdom from 1999 until 2002.

The model debuted in January 2000 and it was the second new model generation to bear the Corniche name, after four consecutive Corniche series derived from the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Contrary to all its predecessors, this Corniche was also the first Rolls-Royce with a soft-top that folded into the car's body.

Despite all-new sheetmetal, bearing a strong resemblance to the Silver Seraph, it had instead been derived from the pre-BMW era Bentley Azure, the model continued use of the traditional Rolls-Royce 6.75L V8 engine-block, in common with its predecessors, albeit significantly modernised, with improved performance, due to the Bentley-inherited turbocharger — this was the first Corniche to have this feature standard.

Released after a five-year production gap, the fifth series Corniche was Rolls-Royce's most expensive model and flagship car, with a base price of US$359.900. From 2003, Rolls-Royce motor car production was handed over to BMW, who did not prolong the production of any of the existing models, but instead reintroduced the brand with an all-new Phantom VII.

The Rolls-Royce Corniche V is powered by a 325 hp 6.75 L turbocharged Rolls-Royce V8. The engine is capable of producing 738 N·m of torque between 2100-2300 rpm. The engine is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. It has a top speed of 220 km/h and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 9 seconds. The convertible, weighing 2736 kg, was built more for comfort than for speed.

The Corniche V was the only Rolls-Royce model launched under Volkswagen holding ownership; the last Rolls-Royce Corniche to date, and with just 384 units built.

C-Cool Models

phantom VI frua sedan & convertible 1973

Of the 374 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI chassis produced between 1968 and 1991, only two were produced with truly bespoke coachwork, both to very modern designs by the renowned Pietro Frua of Turin.

The car has a 6,230 cc OHV V-8 Engine, twin SU carburettors and a 4-Speed Automatic Transmission.

The convertible may quite simply well be the largest and most imposing two-door convertible existing in the world today – and most likely one of the largest two-door convertibles ever built.  It was created by the world famous Maserati designer Pietro Frua in his crisp signature style to a special order received in 1971 from H.E. Consul Simon van Kempen of Switzerland and Monaco. 

camargue

The Rolls-Royce Camargue is a 2-door luxury saloon manufactured and marketed by Rolls-Royce Motors from 1975–1986. Designed  at Pininfarina  the Camargue was the first post-war production Rolls Royce not designed in-house.

The Camargue derives its name from the coastal region in southern France.   At launch, it was the Rolls-Royce flagship and the most expensive production car in the world. 

camargueĀ coupe & convertible Ā 1975-1986

At its 1975 press debut, Rolls-Royce highlighted automatic split-level climate control system, the first of its kind.

The Camargue shared its platform with the Rolls-Royce Corniche and Silver Shadow and was powered by the same 6.75-litre V8 engine as the Silver Shadow, although the Camargue engine was slightly more powerful. The transmission was also carried over – a General Motors Turbo-Hydramatic 3-speed automatic. 

With a 3048 mm wheelbase, the Camargue was the first Rolls-Royce automobile to be designed to metric dimensions, and was the first Rolls-Royce to feature an inclined rather than perfectly vertical grille; the Camargue's grille was slanted at an angle of seven degrees.

The car was sold in very limited numbers in European, American, Canadian, Australian and Asian markets. Several of the cars have since been modified into convertibles by after-market customizers.

The Camargue received a varied reception, having ranked as one of the "10 Worst Cars"'as chosen in 2010 by readers of The Globe and Mail; having ranked 38 in the 2005 book Crap Cars by Richard Porter (the author saying the car "looked utterly terrible)" and having ranked 92 in a 2008 poll of the 100 ugliest cars of all time by readers of The Daily Telegraph. Autoblog said the Camargue had been ranked "conspicuously low on the list," adding the Camargue "really was horrid, no matter how well it sold."

silver shadow IIĀ  1977-1980

The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is a full-sized luxury car produced in various forms from 1965 to 1980. It was the first of the marque to use unitary body and chassis construction.

The Silver Shadow was produced from 1965 to 1976, and the Silver Shadow II from 1977 to 1980. To date, the combined model run has the largest production volume of any Rolls-Royce.

The Shadow featured a 172 hp  6.2 L V8 from 1965 to 1969, and a 189 hp  6.75 L V8 from 1970 to 1980.

silver spirit/spur

The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit is a full-size luxury car produced by Rolls-Royce Motors, in Crewe, England, from 1980 to 1997. It was the first model in the SZ series. The Silver Spur is a long-wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit, produced from 1980 to 2000. It was the first car to feature a retractable Spirit of Ecstasy. The spring-loaded mascot sank into the radiator shell if dislodged from its position.

silver spirit mkII 1988-1992

The Silver Spirit was introduced by Rolls-Royce in 1980 as the first of a new generation of company models. It formed the basis for the Flying Spur, Silver Dawn, Touring Limousine, Park Ward, and Bentley Mulsanne/Eight series.

The Spur/Spirit continued the Silver Shadow's emphasis on ride quality by utilising its hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension, modified with Girling automatic hydraulic ride height control system and gas-charged shock absorbers. Sealed beam headlamps were fitted in the United States due to longstanding regulations, while European laws allowed for the fitment of more modern composite units.

The Silver Spirit II and Silver Spur II were refinements of the original models, introduced at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Spirit/Spur carried over the basic design of the Silver Shadow, its 6.75 L L410 V8 engine and GM-sourced THM400 3-speed automatic gearbox.

silver spur hooper landaulette 1990

The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit was produced in four different series between 1980 and 1999. A related model, the Silver Spur was produced alongside it and was identical except for a lengthened wheelbase. Interestingly, this one-off creation is actually a Silver Spirit – the short wheelbase car – but features a lengthened chassis, thus the extremely long stance.

That extension was nearly one meter in added length. This remarkably stately creation is a one-off custom landaulette by the famed coachbuilder Hooper. It was commissioned by an Australian charity (some charity if this what they spent their money on… turns out they never finished paying for the $1 million+ build cost and Hooper took the car back). The car is right-hand-drive, and the interior looks like a place Gordon Gecko would be very comfortable hanging out.

Power is from a 6.75-liter V8, and the car has had two real owners since Hooper let it go in 2010. One of one, it is among the final coachbuilt Rolls-Royces and should command big bucks.

Hooper & Co. were an English coach-building company originally operating from 1805 to 1959 and primarily known for their work in designing and constructing beautifully intricate horse-drawn carriages.

In World War I, they shifted their focus to aircraft, constructing the Sopwith Camel at a rate of three per day. With peace, they returned to coach building, and were ultimately acquired by Daimler in 1940.

Among other extremely exclusive Rolls-Royce and Bentley commissions, Hooper & Co. produced the four door St. James and Emperor variants, based on the Rolls-Royce Silver Spur, including the (further) extended wheelbase version with a division.

silver spur limoĀ  1988-1992

The Silver Spur is a long-wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit, produced from 1980 to 2000. It was the first car to feature a retractable Spirit of Ecstasy. The spring-loaded mascot sank into the radiator shell if dislodged from its position.

The Rolls-Royce Park Ward Limousine is a limited edition Silver Spur/Spirit mark IV with a 610-millimetre (24 in) extended wheelbase and a 51 mm (2 in) taller roof. 

phantom

The ‘New Phantom’ is the direct successor to the 1907 Silver Ghost. That Ghost don’t forget, completed the 1913 Alpine Trial and earned the nickname ‘The Best Car in the World’. It was phased out in 1925 and replaced by the Phantom, which was built both in the UK and USA. Rolls-Royce has used the Phantom name on full-sized luxury cars over the past century. It is Rolls-Royce’s most highly recognizable flagship model. These are cars that are destined for the stables of royalty, acting as a rolling signature of power, wealth, and prestige.

mkVIIĀ  2003-2017

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VII is a full-sized luxury saloon car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Launched in 2003, it was the first Rolls-Royce developed and introduced after BMW  purchased the right to use the Rolls-Royce name and logo in 1998.

BMW originally intended to use a 9.0L V16 engine in the Phantom but settled for a  V12 engine with special increased 6.75 L displacement.

drophead 2007-2016

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is a luxury grand tourer manufactured by Rolls-Royce that debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on 7 January 2007. It is based on the 2003 Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from the 100EX, a concept car shown to celebrate the company's centennial in 2004. The exterior resembles that of the 100EX. The 2-door 4-seat convertible has rearward opening coach doors and a two-tone color scheme that distinguishes between the upper and lower bodywork and frames the teak wood paneling of the convertible's tonneau cover. However, it eschews the EX's aluminum bonnet in favor of more easily maintained stainless steel. In its first year on the market (2007), 253 Drophead Coupés were sold worldwide. Rolls Royce discontinued the Drophead Coupe in 2016 and made the very last Drophead Coupe "Last of Last Edition" in 2017. Around this period, the Drophead Coupe was deemed the most expensive Rolls Royce in the British car company's history. This statement has now been handed over to the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, which predominantly resembles the Drophead Coupe Series 1. Prices for the Rolls Royce Boat Tail start from $28 Million for the world's wealthiest hand picked client's.

100ex & 101ex

The Rolls-Royce 100 EX and the 101 EX, with 'EX' standing for experimental models, are two related concept cars developed by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and first shown at the Geneva International Auto Show in 2004 and 2006 respectively.

PT Models

100 ex 2004

The Rolls-Royce 100 EX (EX stands for experimental model) is a concept car developed by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in 2004. The car was produced to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the meeting of businessman Charles Rolls and engineer Henry Royce. 

The car has a 9.0 litre V16 engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

101 ex 2008

In 2004, the 101EX, a grand tourer coupe prototype based on the 100EX, was presented at the Geneva International Auto Show. The 101EX shares its aluminium space frame chassis technology with the 2003 Phantom. Power comes from the BMW 6.75L V12 engine.

The updated body styling of the 101EX would serve as the basis for the Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé.

hyperion 2008

This was a customised version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé built by Pininfarina.

The completed vehicle (with lengthened bonnet created by moving the windscreen back, bespoke headlights, removed back seats) was unveiled at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The Production version was originally reported to be sold as a series of body panels, but later the completed vehicle went on sale at an Abu Dhabi dealership for an undisclosed price.

200ex 2009 ( ghost )

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a full-sized luxury car manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The "Ghost" nameplate, named in honour of the Silver Ghost, a car first produced in 1906, was announced in April 2009 at the Auto Shanghai show. The production model was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Ghost Extended Wheelbase was introduced in 2011. During development, the Ghost was known as the "RR04". It was designed as a smaller, "more measured, more realistic car" than the Phantom, aiming for a lower price category for Rolls-Royce models. According to a statement by BMW AG, this generation of automobile, with an internal combustion engine, is to be produced until 2030, at which point the company intends to manufacture electric models only. The Ghost was designed by Andreas Thurner and Charles Coldham and engineered by Helmut Riedl, who led the development of the larger Rolls-Royce Phantom. The Ghost is based on a platform shared with the F01 BMW 7 Series. The company concedes that 20% of parts are common to both cars.

1906-1934

1911-1934

1911-1973

1911-1920

1973-1998

1998-2020

2020-now

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