ROLLS-ROYCE - Rolls-Royce Motor Cars made its international debut at the Paris Salon of 1904, exhibiting two-, three-and-four cylinder cars of standard-setting quality. Within three years Royce’s engineering genius had created the Silver Ghost, a car of legendary smoothness and, thanks to completing a 14,371-mile run virtually non-stop, unprecedented reliability.

With production of the Silver Ghost the company flourished, eventually out-growing its original Cooke Street factory and moving to an all-new Royce-designed factory at Nightingale Road in Derby. Tragically, Rolls died in a flying accident soon after, but Royce continued to work, despite suffering ill-health. Now in semi-retirement, he worked from his home in West Wittering, West Sussex, expanding the business by designing aero engines, while Claude Johnson managed car production.

After the First World War, Rolls-Royce resumed car production, introducing the new Phantom I and II. By 1921 the company had also made a move into the United States, building a factory in Springfield Massachusetts. Both car and aero engine businesses were flourishing, a highlight being the success of Rolls-Royce’s ‘R’ aero engine in the Schneider Trophy - an international air race for sea planes, which RR-powered aircraft won in 1929, 1930 and 1931. It was this engine that would ultimately be developed into the legendary Merlin, which powered allied aircraft such as the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster. It was in 1931 that Rolls-Royce acquired the ailing Bentley Motors, but sadly Royce would not see the Merlin’s success, or enjoy challenge of building a more sporting car, for he died on April 22nd 1933, aged 70.

The Second World War meant focus shifted to building aero engines, both at the Derby Works, and a new factory, commissioned by the Air Ministry, and built at Crewe in Cheshire, which would eventually become the home of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars from 1946.

Business was good throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Rolls-Royce managing to buy-out Britain’s other great aero engine manufacturer, Bristol Siddeley in 1966. Unfortunately, Rolls-Royce then encountered difficulties developing its latest jet engine, and in 1971 Rolls-Royce Ltd went into receivership, the company divided into separate aero and motor car companies.

In 1980 British defence company, Vickers plc bought the car division, and continued to produce Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars until 1998, when it was sold to Volkswagen. While VW took control of Bentley and the Crewe factory, Rolls-Royce was bought by BMW Group, at which point work began on building a new project team, finding a Greenfield site and building a new factory, and designing an all-new world-beating car - the Phantom - which was launched on Jan 1st 2003.