Henry Royce spent two decades creating all fashion of mechanical and electrical inventions before deciding to focus his energy on the motorcar in 1904. The English language engineer was convinced he could build far finer cars than those being congenital on the other side of the Channel in France, and was able to persuade his beau countryman (and aristocrat) Charles Rolls he could practice and then. Two years later, in 1906, the duo partnered to launch Rolls-Royce and the residue is automotive history.

The British marque's storied history is as fascinating as it is lengthy, rife with incredible moments of ingenuity, innovation and pure opulence stretching from its beginnings to the present twenty-four hours. Below, 21 of the most interesting facts from the marque'due south 116-twelvemonth history.

The start Rolls had 10 horsepower

Royce's first cosmos, which made its debut in 1904, had a 1.8-liter two-cylinder that delivered 10 horsepower. The aptly named Royce 10 featured a three-bearing crank and twin camshafts that actuated the side exhaust and overhead valves. To get everything hauling, that manufactory was mated to a iii-speed manual transmission.

1904 Rolls-Royce 10HP

1904 Rolls-Royce 10HP Rolls-Royce

The model for The Spirit of Ecstasy was shrouded in scandal

Rolls-Royce'southward at present iconic hood ornament, The Spirit of Ecstasy, debuted in 1911. It was commissioned by automobile collector Baron John Edward Scott-Montagu, who based the effigy's likeness on his secretary-turned-mistress, believed to be Eleanor Thornton. Earlier iterations of the sculpture have her finger pressed confronting her lips, reportedly a wink at their decade-long thing. Thornton perished at ocean in 1915, en road to Republic of india, when a German U-gunkhole sunk the transport she was traveling on. The sculptor of the statuette, Charles Sykes, adopted and evolved the design for Rolls-Royce, and it's been employed e'er since.

BMW shelled out tens of millions for the rights to the ornament

When BMW bought Rolls-Royce from Volkswagen back in 2002, the rights to The Spirit of Ecstasy were held past Volkswagen. Subsequently, Volkswagen requested $40 million to transfer ownership to BMW, which agreed to the terms and paid the sizable sum.

The illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy

The illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy Rolls-Royce

The European union banned the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy

The Spirit of Ecstasy may be the most famous hood ornamentation in automotive history. Because of that, Rolls-Royce hasn't changed it much since it was beginning introduced. That is, until 2016, when the marque started offering the pick of an illuminated ornament. If that sounds sacrilegious to you lot, y'all're non alone. The lit-upward Spirit of Ecstasy has since been banned in the EU. Is information technology because the government body is fabricated up of automotive purists? It might be, but the official reason is that the illuminated ornamentation creates as well much light pollution.

Over 60 percent of all Rolls-Royces are withal on the route

Rolls-Royce has always focused on crafting durable, indelible vehicles. The commitment to superior build quality has translated into a startling fact: At least 65 percent of all Rolls-Royce cars ever to emerge from the production line are still operational and on the roads today.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge.

Taking the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge for a ride through the Blue Ridge Parkway. Photograph by Basem Wasef.

Rolls-Royce one time made a .50 quotient motorcar gun

And information technology was rather revolutionary for its time. During World War Two, the head of the Rolls-Royce technology team, Dr. Spirito Mario Viale, sought to improve the efficacy of the staple machine gun, the Browning M2. The Rolls-Royce .50 cal featured a locked breech, in lieu of the typical gas mechanism, and it fired at double the rate of the M2 and weighed more than 40 percent less. Notwithstanding, it jammed frequently and generated too much cage flash, so information technology never supplanted the Browning as the choice gun. One example is even so known to exist, housed in the Purple Armouries Museum in Leeds, England.

A Rolls-Royce engine helped begin the 300-mph club

Last year, Bugatti set up the automotive world aflutter when its Chiron hypercar, piloted by Andy Wallace, hitting 304.77 mph . However, Rolls-Royce got to that enchanting speed starting time. Its 2,300 horsepower, 36.7-liter supercharged Rolls-Royce V-12 engines were known for blistering performance and staggering speed back in the 1930s. Indeed, the speed record was ready in 1933 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, hitting 272.46 mph in the Campbell-Railton Blueish Bird, powered by a Rolls-Royce V-12. In 1935, Campbell took the rudimentary land rocket to the Bonneville Table salt Flats in Utah and recorded a run of 301.33 mph.

Campbell-Railton Blue birdGoodwood Festival of Speed 2013, Chichester, West Sussex, Britain - 14 Jul 2013

The record-breaking Blue Bird at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2013. Photograph: Shutterstock

The brand's plane engines were and then powerful the frazzle alone bolstered height speed

Rolls-Royce was equally proficient in manufacturing prolific aviation engines, including the 27-liter Spitfire Merlin 5-12, created in 1933. This engine generated such powerful thrust from the exhaust that when engineers simply angled the exhaust outlet backward, the Spitfire gained 10 mph.

Rolls-Royce'south electric plane is the world's fastest EV

Rolls-Royce's auto and airplane divisions were spun off from ane other in the early 1970s and now have separate owners. The ii companies still share the same proper name, though, forth with the same hunger for excellence. Just await at the electric plane the non-carmaking Rolls-Royce announced a couple years dorsum. The battery-powered aircraft recently striking a top speed of 387 mph in testing, making it not only the fastest electric airplane only the fastest electric vehicle, catamenia.

Rolls-Royce the Spirit of Innovation

Rolls-Royce the Spirit of Innovation John Thousand Dibbs/Rolls-Royce

You could only go a Phantom IV if you were a majestic

As Rolls-Royce gained a deserved reputation for elegance throughout the 1930s and 1940s, it became the only pick for the world'southward elite. This notion further solidified in 1950 when the British purple family unit parted means with Daimler to select Rolls-Royce as its preferred car manufacturer. Then-Princess Elizabeth was the first to receive a Phantom Iv, which became a model only designed for the royals and other heads of state. A mere 18 Phantom IV models were produced, making it among the rarest of the Rolls-Royce'southward ever.

You tin can transport your chauffeur to a Rolls-Royce driving school

The coveted seats in any Rolls-Royce are in the back and, accordingly, many owners opt for drivers. But for the virtually comfortable experience, they may want to consider splurging on Rolls-Royce's White Glove training program. The curriculum trains drivers on how to open and close doors without leaving fingerprints, how to brake without moving the passengers' heads, and how to read and drive a road for optimal smoothness.

Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, 1950-56, only 18 pieces were built exclusively for royalty and heads of state, BMW Museum, Munich, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, GermanyVARIOUS

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Iv, created in the 1950s Photo: imageBROKER/Shutterstock

Simply bulls are used for Rolls-Royce'due south leather interiors

Since sumptuous leather abounds in any Roller, ensuring that each inch is blemish-free is a requisite. Rolls-Royce does this by only sourcing from bulls since cows can get unwelcome stretch marks during pregnancy. Furthermore, those bulls simply come up from Europe where the higher altitudes hateful fewer mosquitos and other insects, minimizing bite marks.

Ane human being paints all of Rolls-Royce'south pinstripes by hand

One pair of hands has been painting the pinstripes on all Rolls-Royce cars for the past 17 years, and they belong to Mark Court. Court has been doing this intricate work since the company opened its Goodwood plant in 2003. (It's his only job, and reportedly earns him a half dozen-effigy salary.) Given the lack of room for error—the pinstripe paint is a unique variety that affixes instantly to the auto'southward paint, and so mistakes result in the whole car needing repainting—it'southward well-deserved.

Rolls Royce

A Rolls-Royce pinstripe hand painted by Marker Court. Photo: Courtesy of Rolls Royce

The logo on Rolls-Royce wheels e'er remains completely upright

It'southward the details that separate the Rolls-Royce from everyone else. But look at the wheels on every single vehicle that'southward rolled off the line at Goodwood. You won't really notice until you come across the car in motion, and so it sticks out: The logo on the center cap doesn't movement. That'south considering each official Rolls-Royce rim features a special gyroscopic mechanism that stops the center cap from rotating, thus ensuring the iconic RR monogram remains upright no matter what.

We don't know how much the most expensive Rolls-Royce costs—only information technology'due south probably the Boat Tail

We may not know the official price tag, or even the identity of its owner, but the most expensive Rolls-Royce of all time is almost certainly the Boat Tail. Inspired in role by the car that used to hold that title, 2017's Sweptail, the gorgeous Azur Blue cabriolet measures 19 feet front to back. The nautical-themed vehicle features a tapered rear that calls to mind some of the stateliest cars of the 1920s, similar the Auburn 851 Speedster and Bentley Speed Six Boat-Tail. Just every bit impressive is the list of one-of-a-kind accessories, which include dashboard clocks made by Bovet (more on those below), a champagne libation, a unique crockery set by Christofle of Paris and a matching parasol.

The Rolls-Royce Boat Tail that debuted on May 27, 2021.

Rolls-Royce Gunkhole Tail Photo: Courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited.

Its Bovet dashboard clocks can be worn as wristwatches

It's hard to pick which of the Boat Tail'south accessories are most impressive, but if we had to name just ane, we'd take to go with the swappable dashboard clocks fabricated by Swiss watchmaker Bovet. The brand crafted singled-out timepieces for both the anonymous owner and his better one-half. Even more than ingenious, though, is that they double as wristwatches. Thanks to the unique characteristic, the owner and his married woman will never accept to worry about matching their outfits to their i-of-a-kind car.

It takes at least two months to build a Phantom

Introduced in 2003, the Phantom was the first Rolls-Royce offer under BMW, and the numbers behind the production are staggering. More than 200 aluminum pieces and 300 alloy parts must be hand-welded. Upholstery requires 75 square meters of textile and about 17 days to complete. More than 44,000 colors are offered, and it takes at least ii months to complete one single vehicle.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus. Photo: Courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited.

The embroidered headliner in the Falcon Wraith has over 250,000 stitches

Rolls-Royce is willing to become to smashing lengths to give their customers exactly what they want. Take, for instance, the headliner in the Falcon Wraith. The stunning ceiling roofing is busy with an embroidered image of a peregrine falcon, a bird that can wing every bit fast as the car it adorns—200 mph. The detailed prototype took over a month to conceive, pattern and complete, and consists of over 250,000 stitches. That's far from the only breathtaking headliner you'll find in a Rolls, though. The official Starlight selection, which is available on all of the marque's vehicles, features 1,340 optical fibers, ensuring you'll get a clear wait at the dark heaven no matter the time of day it is.

The Ghost is packed with 220 pounds of sound-wearisome fabric

The Ghost has long been lauded for its near-silent motel. Rolls-Royce wanted to take things even further—or quieter—with the second iteration of its exquisite saloon. To do this, engineers came up with a new "Formula of Serenity," which involved equipping the machine with a rigid aluminum infinite frame that conducts less noise. So they packed the car'south roof, trunk and flooring with 220 pounds of audio-arresting materials. The result is a ride and then quiet and smooth you but might forget you're in the back seat of a motorcar.

The Rolls-Royce Falcon Wraith

The Falcon Wraith's headliner Rolls-Royce

The Wraith Kryptos is filled with undercover codes

The limited-edition Wraith Kryptos Collection comes with its very own encrypted cipher. Hidden throughout the luxe coupé are a series of encoded messages—establish everywhere from the base of the Spirit of Ecstasy to the rear seat piping—which can be used to solve the final puzzle. The marque took pains to keep the answer a surreptitious, likewise. At the time of the auto's launch it was locked abroad in a safe at Rolls-Royce headquarters and known to just ii people—the vehicle's designer and company's chief executive.

The (one-time) owner of the world's largest Rolls-Royce collection may surprise you

Clocking in at 93 Rolls-Royces, the largest drove of Rollers in history belonged to Bhagwan Rajneesh. If that proper noun sounds familiar, he was the leader of a "spiritual movement," eponymously called Rajneesh. He and his followers overran a small Oregon town back in the 1970s, all of which (including the Rolls-Royces) was recently showcased by Netflix'south documentary Wild, Wild State.

Rajneesh Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh waves to the crowd from the backseat of his Rolls-Royce limousine after plea bargaining in Portland, Ore., federal court on two federal immigration charges, . Rajneesh changed his plea to guilty, received a 10-year suspended prison sentence, was fined $400,000 and agreed to leave the countryU.S. DEPORTATION RAJNEESH, PORTLAND, USA

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in the dorsum of a Rolls-Royce from his car drove. Photo: Don Ryan/AP/Shutterstock