Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce is a brand synonymous with "the best," but there is a lot more to the double-R logo than just plush leather and umbrellas in the doors. read more

Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about the world’s most famous luxury carmaker.

1. The Spirit of Ecstasy was once "Illegal"

The famous hood ornament wasn't always standard; in the early days, owners added their own (often tacky) statues. Rolls-Royce commissioned the Spirit of Ecstasy in 1911 to "standardize" the look. Interestingly, she used to be a permanent fixture, but to comply with modern safety regulations and prevent theft, she now retracts into the hood automatically if tampered with or if the car is turned off.

2. They Don’t Just Make Cars

This is a common point of confusion: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (owned by BMW) and Rolls-Royce Holdings (the aerospace and defense giant) have been separate companies since 1987. While the car side focuses on luxury, the other side builds the massive jet engines found on Boeing and Airbus planes.

3. A Single Man Paints Every "Coachline."

There is no robot for the finishing touches. Every single hand-painted "coachline" (the pinstripe running down the side of the car) is done by one man: Mark Court.

• He uses a brush made of ox and squirrel hair.
• There is no "undo" button; if he makes a mistake, the entire car has to be repainted.

4. The Center of the Wheels Never Moves

If you watch a Rolls-Royce driving down the street, you’ll notice the "RR" logo in the center of the wheels stays perfectly upright. This is thanks to weighted self-leveling centers that ensure the branding is always legible, even at high speeds.

5. Their Engines Were Quiet—By Design

The goal was always "waftability." In the 1960s, an advertisement for the Silver Cloud famously claimed: "At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock." To this day, the company uses hundreds of pounds of soundproofing materials to achieve "The Silent Shadow."

6. Most Rolls-Royces Ever Built are Still Running

Roughly 65% of all Rolls-Royces ever manufactured since 1904 are still on the road today. Their build quality is so high that they are often passed down through generations rather than being scrapped.

7. The "Starlight Headliner" is Fiber-Optic Magic

The ceiling of a modern Rolls-Royce can be fitted with a "Starlight Headliner."

• It uses between 600 and 1,600 hand-woven fiber-optic lights.
• You can request specific constellations based on the night sky of a certain date or location (like your birthday or wedding night).

8. You Have to Go to "Finishing School" to Drive One

Rolls-Royce offers a program called The White Glove Experience. It’s a training course for chauffeurs that teaches them how to brake without the passengers feeling a "jerk," how to open doors gracefully, and how to check for paparazzi before a passenger exits.

9. They Once Made the Fastest Car in the World

While they focus on luxury now, the 1930s were all about speed. The Rolls-Royce "R" engine powered the Blue Bird S.4, which set a land speed record of 272 mph in 1933. That same engine design eventually evolved into the Merlin engine that powered the Spitfire fighter planes in WWII.

10. No Two Cars are Exactly Alike

Because of their "Bespoke" program, the chance of two cars being identical is nearly zero. They will match leather to a specific lipstick shade or wood trim to a tree from your own backyard. They’ve even had a customer request a paint finish infused with 1,000 crushed diamonds.