Rolls-Royce makes the most luxurious cars in the world. And the richest people in the world dream of owning a Rolls-Royce. But surprisingly, this luxurious Rolls-Royce was started by a boy whose entire childhood was spent doing child labor in poverty.
The story begins in 1863. Henry Royce is born in a small village in England. When Royce was only 4 years old, his father's business was ruined.
His entire family was on the streets. But this was just the beginning of problems. At the age of 9, Royce lost his father forever.
Because of which his mother had to work as a maid. And Royce started delivering newspapers. Till now, Royce's future was filled with darkness.
But at the age of 14, a turning point came in his life. One of his aunts saw potential in Henry. She went to the Great Northern Railway Company.
She joined Royce as an apprentice. In the next 3 years, Royce worked day and night. He read dozens of books and worked in a factory.
He learned carpentry, maths, and most importantly, electronics. At the age of 17, he became a fully capable mechanic. At the age of 21, he was working as an engineer in a company called Maxim Western.
But due to financial difficulties, this company was about to close. Royce had the option to take up a job in many other companies. But he decided to open his own electrical engineering company.
He used his £20 savings and started a small office space in Manchester. FH Royce and Company. He also joined his friend Ernest Claremont as a partner.
Initially, Royce did whatever he could to survive. Like repairing sewing machines, electrical fittings, etc. But Royce saw that demand for electrical fittings and lightings was increasing.
So he started manufacturing R-clamps, bulb holders, and electronic doorbells. This changed the company's fate. By 1900, the company's sales had crossed £20,000.
At the age of 38, Royce had a family. They were planning to build a huge factory. Everything was going well.
Then a twist comes in the story. In 1901, German and American companies entered the British electronics market. Competition increased and the prices of electronics equipment fell.
Royce's business started crashing. As the business failed, Royce's physical and mental health deteriorated. When Royce consulted a doctor, he got a simple advice.
Royce needed fresh air to recover. He was advised to buy a car so that he could travel without strain. Royce took a vacation to recover.
He bought a French-made car called Decoville. This car made a lot of noise. Brakes were ineffective and overheating was a problem.
This car was below standard for a perfectionist like Henry. So he decided to make minor modifications. But he redesigned the car.
This redesigned car was superior to the original Decoville car. This gave Royce the confidence to build his own car. He could even start a car business.
He assembled a team and started designing his new car. He was sent to a workshop for casting. Eventually, Royce's 10 horsepower and 2-cylinder car started taking shape.
In terms of quietness, lightness, durability, and reliability, this car was superior. On 1st April, 1904, it was tested on the road. In its first test, it covered a distance of 50 km without any problem.
Royce made 2 more cars of the same model. They were tested and improved. They made world-class cars.
But they were not capable of delivering these cars to the world. This is the entry of the second hero of the story, Charles Rolls. Royce was presenting his cars in an exhibition.
Charles Rolls spotted these cars. Charles Rolls was a passionate motorist. He was doing a successful business of superior quality cars.
Rolls was already looking for a luxury British car maker. So he met Royce and saw the cars closely. He was impressed by Royce.
He told his business partner that he has found the world's greatest engineer. Charles Rolls and Henry Royce agreed to start a joint venture to sell these cars. The name of the car was going to be Rolls-Royce.
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Let's come back to the story. In March 1906, Rolls-Royce Limited was officially established. 4 Rolls-Royces, 10, 15, 20, and 30 horsepower models were to be supplied.
Rolls-Royce believed that the best way to market a car was to participate in racing tournaments. That's why Rolls-Royce participated in prestigious tournaments like Isle of Man and Tourist Trophy. Rolls-Royce won those races by using Rolls-Royce cars.
Rolls-Royce also made many new speed records with these cars. Rolls-Royce was already established like a great car company. But their most successful car was yet to come.
At the end of 1906, Rolls-Royce launched a model with 40 and 50 horsepower and 6 cylinders. Its body color was silver. It was extremely smooth and silent.
Just like a ghost. That's why it was named Silver Ghost. To market the car, Rolls-Royce planned an endurance test of 24,000 km.
Silver Ghost was driven for 2. 5 months on Sundays. It was driven continuously day and night.
And the distance covered was 24,000 km. Silver Ghost passed this test without any issue. Rolls-Royce also organized many demonstrations.
In which they made Silver Ghost pass the Whisper Test. In this test, they balanced a coin on the bonnet of the car and drove it without dropping it. Which proved that this car is extremely smooth.
With these strategies, Silver Ghost became popular like the best car in the world. And it became the first choice of the kings, queens and industry leaders of that time. The decision of Rolls-Royce partnership proved to be a masterstroke.
They were getting success from all sides. That's when a terrible incident happened. Along with cars, Charles Rolls was also very passionate about aviation.
On 12 July 1910, he was flying a plane named Wright Flyer. During the flight, the tail section of the aircraft broke and the plane crashed from a height of 100 feet. 120 00:07:35,000 00:07:39,000 In this incident, 32-year-old Charles Rolls lost his life.
Unfortunately, he became the first person in Britain to lose his life in an airplane accident. This incident had deeply impacted Rolls-Royce. He was trying to overcome this loss.
But in 1911, he got another shock. His health started deteriorating rapidly. And the doctors told him that he had bowel cancer.
He underwent a major operation. But even after this, the doctors said that he would only live for 3 months. Even in this condition, Rolls-Royce kept improving the design and engineering of the Silver Ghost.
And then a miracle happened. After 3 months, Rolls-Royce achieved 100% recovery. After coming back, Rolls-Royce made major improvements in the Silver Ghost.
Ground clearance was increased. Suspension was improved. And the chassis was also made strong.
During this time, Rolls-Royce saw that there was a trend of putting personalized mascots on the bonnet of the car. But the company was worried that people were putting inappropriate mascots. Which could negatively impact the image of Rolls-Royce.
That's why they designed their own mascot. In their mascot, a British actress named Eleanor Thornton and a model were used. This sculpture shows a woman leaning forward.
Her hands are stretched backwards. And there is strong wind blowing on them. This mascot symbolizes a sense of grace, freedom and speed.
Its name is Spirit of Ecstasy. Ecstasy means overwhelming happiness. Due to all these improvements, Rolls-Royce's sales and profits were growing exponentially.
By 1913, their profit was more than 90,000 pounds. And there were plans to expand the branches internationally. But then something happened that almost destroyed Rolls-Royce.
World War 1 World War 1 started in 1914. But Rolls-Royce was not ready for it. Due to the war, the economy crashed.
Which impacted luxury car companies like Rolls-Royce. Sales crashed and the company had to fire its employees. Everyone thought that Rolls-Royce would not be able to survive the war.
But Rolls-Royce had some other plans. Rolls-Royce met with the military authorities. After which they realized that reliable and high-performance cars were needed in the war.
That's why Rolls-Royce modified the Silver Ghost and turned it into an armored car. 8mm thick armor was installed in the car's body. A revolving turret was also installed in which a machine gun was fitted.
This car was used to conduct operations in the harsh desert regions of the Middle East. Plus, it was also used for spying missions. Also, because the Silver Ghost was very smooth to drive.
It was also the best vehicle to carry a wounded soldier. That's why many Silver Ghosts were modified like war ambulances. There was sufficient space for stretchers, medical equipment, and nurses.
Electric lightings were fitted for night-time missions. These ambulances saved thousands of lives. Finally, due to its luxury features, Rolls-Royce cars were used by high-ranking officers, diplomatic missions, and king messengers during the war.
While working closely with the military, Rolls-Royce realized that the British Air Force was heavily dependent on French companies for its airplane engines. And the government desperately wanted a British company to supply its engines. Seeing this opportunity, Rolls-Royce took an entry in aero engine manufacturing.
Rolls-Royce himself learned aero engine design and launched his first engine in 1915, the Eagle. This engine was more reliable, light, and fuel-efficient than the competition. That's why the British Air Force ordered 500 Eagle engines by the end of the year.
But Rolls-Royce didn't stop here. In the end of 1915, Rolls-Royce made the Hawk engine for light aircraft. In 1916, Rolls-Royce made the smaller version of the Eagle, the Falcon engine.
And in 1918, Rolls-Royce made the Condor engine for large and long-range aircraft. Due to these engines, Britain got a major advantage in aerial combat, spying missions, anti-submarine operations, and bombing missions. And this became an important reason for their victory.
Rolls-Royce's entry in aero engine manufacturing proved to be a brilliant step. And even today, Rolls-Royce's engines are used in thousands of commercial and military aircrafts. In 1918, World War I ended.
And for the next 15 years, Rolls-Royce focused on both cars and aero engines. He launched a smaller and cheaper car named 20. Unfortunately, the sales of 20 were not very impressive.
By 1925, competition had increased due to brands like Bentley, Delmar, and Cadillac in the luxury car market. And Rolls-Royce needed a bold car to maintain its position. That's why he replaced the Silver Ghost and launched the new Phantom with better performance and four-wheel brakes.
Phantom was quite successful and it made Rolls-Royce the king of the luxury car market again. In the future, Phantom 2 was also launched which was equally well-received. In 1931, Rolls-Royce acquired Bentley which was about to go bankrupt.
And after this, Rolls-Royce designed another iconic car, Bentley 3. 5L. Which was a successful blend of Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
But unfortunately, Rolls-Royce never saw this car with his own eyes. On April 22, 1933, 70-year-old Henry Rolls-Royce took his last breath. A few months before the production of the car.
Rolls-Royce has seen many ups and downs since the death of Sir Henry Royce. On one hand, iconic cars like Phantom 3, Silver Shadow, and Ghost were launched. On the other hand, he had to face financial difficulties in the 1960s.
Due to which his aviation and automobile business were separated. And currently, Rolls-Royce is owned by BMW Motors. But even today, Rolls-Royce is the greatest symbol of ultimate luxury due to its iconic cars.
Owning a Rolls-Royce is like owning a masterpiece. Which symbolizes the perfection and charisma of Rolls.
