Pictures of the first Rolls-Royce date back 120 years ago.
The year 2024 marks the 120th anniversary of the introductory meeting between Henry Royce and The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls in 1904. This led to the birth of two Royce 10 HP cars - The first car built by Henry Royce, and Rolls-Royce 10 HP, the first model of the newly established brand. create.
In 1903, electrical engineer Henry Royce was running his own manufacturing company in Manchester. Although the company was quite successful, trouble still befell Royce and other UK companies due to the growing influx of cheaper imported electrical goods.
Being a perfectionist, Royce refused to lower his standards to compete, instead looking for ways to diversify into new fields, and this was also a decision that helped change the history of the automobile industry.
In September 1902, Royce purchased a small French car called the 10 HP Decauville. This was a highly rated model from a reputable manufacturer and among the best available at the time. However, Royce quickly identified many flaws and weaknesses in the design, engineering and structure of this car.
With this in mind, Royce decided to use the Decauville as the basis for a car with a better engine that he would build for himself. Royce began by carefully dismantling it, taking detailed notes and drawings of each part. His new design sensibly retained some key features but also introduced many innovative improvements to the bearings, radiator, carburetor and transmission.
Royce also aimed to reduce the overall weight of the car and he did so thanks to his engineering experience and meticulous metallurgical skills along with simpler measures such as eliminating the brass warning bell. Decauville's cast originally weighed about 20kg. Most notably, Royce designed and built his own twin-cylinder engine, the first in a series of legendary engines for both cars and airplanes that he would create during his illustrious career. mine.
On April 1, 1904, his first complete car - the 10 HP Royce rolled on the streets for the first time. Meanwhile, in London, an aristocratic automobile and aviation pioneer opened one of the first car dealerships in England in 1902.
He is The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls and business were booming, but Rolls was frustrated that all the goods he sold were designed and manufactured overseas, and there were no domestically produced cars that could meet his needs. customer needs or meet Rolls' strict standards for a perfect car model.
At that time, a friend of Henry Royce named Henry Edmunds lent him one of the first production models of Royce's new 10 HP. He excitedly assumed that was exactly what Rolls was looking for.
On May 4, 1904, as arranged by his friend Edmunds, Rolls went to Manchester to meet Royce and test drive this 10 horsepower car. Although the two people had completely different backgrounds, Rolls was soon convinced with a perfect car model. Soon after, he announced that he would sell every car that Royce could produce through a new company and under a new name: Rolls-Royce.
Their first motor car, the Rolls-Royce 10 HP, was launched in the same year. This is a similar two-cylinder model derived from previous Royce cars but with more improvements in design and mechanics.
Through this small but epochal automobile, the fledgling brand quickly gained a reputation for technical excellence, comfort, performance and reliability that the brand still maintains. until 120 years later.
By 1905, Rolls-Royce had added 3-, 4- and 6-cylinder models, which were both successful in testing and marketed based on 10 horsepower engines and two Cylinder.
All of this perfectly embodies Royce's most famous principles, which still inspire the brand to this day: “Take the best of what's out there and make these the best.” should be better" and "If what you want doesn't exist, create it yourself".