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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars made its debut at the 1904 Paris
Motor Show, displaying two-, three- and four-cylinder
cars, delivering 10hp, 15hp and 20hp respectively. An
advert was placed in The Autocar magazine for
"the first simple, silent Rolls-Royce", and
with the launch of the six-cylinder, 30hp model (6177cc,
55mph) success was immediate. Rolls began to race a
"Twenty" four-cylinder car - with its 4118cc
20hp engine delivering up to 52mph - and won the 1906
Isle of Man Tourist Trophy in a "Light Twenty"
shorter-wheelbase model.
Rolls
Royce 15 hp.
Royce
understood the importance of
motorsport in promoting the brand, and also the role of
publicity stunts; he and Claude Johnson, now Managing
Director of Rolls-Royce Ltd., came up with ideas
including a drive from Monte Carlo to London (which took
37 hours, 30 minutes). Although a new V8-engined model
known as the Legalimit failed to take off, the
six-cylinder, 7036cc 40/50 (48bhp) was instantly
popular, liked for its smoothness, refinement,
flexibility and reliability.
It was the
Silver Ghost that in 1907 caused the motoring press to
name Rolls-Royce the best car in the world. The
characteristics of the Silver Ghost were silence,
smoothness and power. Only 7876 cars were
built over a period of 19 years - by comparison Henry
Ford in a similar period made over 15 million
Model 'T' s.
Johnson took the 12th 40/50 produced for his own use,
and had all its fittings silver-plated and the coachwork
painted silver. The car became known as the Silver
Ghost, a name then applied to all the 40/50 cars. The
Silver Ghost - from £1,300 - was awarded a gold medal
by the RAC for setting a long-distance record, driving
14,371 miles almost non-stop, and it covered a 2000-mile
observation run averaging 20.86 miles per gallon.
However, Charles Rolls was not to get the chance to
enjoy the car's sales success: a keen aviator and the
first man to fly over the Channel both ways, he became
the first Englishman to die in a flying accident when
his plane crashed at the Bournemouth air show in July
1910. Johnson continued to run Rolls-Royce after Rolls'
death.
Rolls
Royce Phantom III - 1936
The Silver Ghost, now with a
7428cc engine, then saw off a challenge from Napier in
1911, averaging 24.3mpg on a run between London and
Edinburgh and a top speed of 78.2mph at Brooklands - the
Napier managed 19.3mpg and 76.4mph. A Ghost fitted with
a single-seater body managed 101.8mph at Brooklands
later in the year, and specially-prepared cars took part
in the Alpine Trials and then the Spanish Grand Prix of
1913, when the Marquis de Salamanca won the event
(thanks to Rolls-Royce test driver Eric Platford,
leading the race, pulling over to let the important
client take the glory). Sales were strong, and Royce
built a new factory in Derby to cope with the growing
demand for his cars. A Rolls-Royce service and repair
centre was opened in Cricklewood, London, and driving
schools were opened to instruct owners and chauffeurs on
the best techniques.
The famous mascot was created
in 1911 when artist Charles Sykes was commissioned to
illustrate the year's sales catalogue. Sykes drew a girl
with arms outstretched, holding her flowing gown, and
the figurine became known as 'The Spirit of Ecstasy',
although she was originally called 'The Spirit of Speed'
and also known as 'The Flying Lady' or 'The Silver
Lady'.
The Spirit of
Ecstasy is one of the most well known motor car mascot
in the world. Designed by Charles Robinson Sykes, The
Spirit of Ecstasy has adorned the radiators of
Rolls-Royce motor cars since 1911. This wonderful mascot
was modeled after a young woman who had bewitching
beauty, intellect and esprit - but not the social status
which might have permitted her to marry the man
with whom she had fallen in love.
Inspiration
The model was Eleanor Velasco Thornton, whose
relationship with John Walter Edward-Scott-Montagu
remained a secret for over a decade, principally
because both lovers acted with the utmost
discretion. John Scott, heir to his father's
title, was a pioneer of the automobile in England. From
1902 he was editor of the "The
Car". Eleanor Thornton served as his
secretary. Friends of the pair knew of their close
relationship but they were sufficiently understanding as
to overlook it.
A member of this circle of friends was the sculptor
Charles S Sykes. Lord Montagu ordered t he
creation of a special mascot for his Rolls-Royce Silver
Ghost. The small statue depicted a young woman in
fluttering robes having placed one forefinger to her
lips. The sculptor had chosen Eleanor Thornton as model
for this figurine, which was christened "The
Whisper".
Lord
Montagu had made the decision to put a mascot on top
of the radiator, and it had become a fashion.
Rolls-Royce had noted other owners of their cars
following the new vogue, but doing so with questionable
style by choosing mundane or even risqué and vulgar
subjects.
Following Lord
Montagu's commission, Charles Sykes was asked to create
a mascot which in future would adorn every Rolls-Royce.
In February 1911 he presented the "Spirit of
Ecstasy", which was easily recognizable as being a
variation on the theme of "The Whisper". The
similarity was hardly coincidental because the model for
both had been Miss Thornton.
The Spirit of
Ecstasy
The Spirit of Ecstasy was delivered by the Company with
every Rolls-Royce. Each was done using the technique
which was thousands of years old and known as the
lost-wax method. This practice results in the mould's
being destroyed to reveal the casting, which explains
why no two figures are exactly alike. Sykes, assisted by
his daughter Jo, remained responsible for manufacturing
the Spirit of Ecstasy for many years. Likewise, each of
the unique creations bore his signature on the plinth.
The sculptures are either signed "Charles Sykes,
February 1911" or sometimes "Feb 6, 1911"
or "6.2.11". Even after Rolls-Royce took over
the casting of the figures in 1948 each Spirit of
Ecstasy continued to receive this inscription until
1951.
From 1911 to 1914 the Spirit of Ecstasy was
silver-plated and thus many thought it a massive piece
of precious metal - one reason for the frequent thefts.
In smaller versions, and now made from highly polished
nickel alloy, the radiator decoration has stood its
ground on every Rolls-Royce, including those in the
present range.
Over the years various alterations have been made. Those
mascots for Rolls-Royce motor cars at the Springfield
plant in the USA were modified. Bowing a little more
forward no longer were they a danger to the bonnet. The
original version had touched the bonnet sides when these
were opened without the precaution having been taken of
turning the figure sideways.
Rolls
Royce - Flying Lady
Royce did not like the Spirit of Ecstasy, which he
judged her to be just a fashionable bauble and
complained that she spoiled the clear line of the car's
bow. The order to create the sculpture was given during
the chief engineer's illness and had been absent. Thus
it became a habit that Rolls-Royce cars used by Royce
were rarely driven with a mascot in place.
Towards the end of the twenties the new body line of
Sports Saloons had reduced the height of the coachwork.
Royce was prompted to think about a lower variation of
the Spirit of Ecstasy, by which alteration a driver
might benefit from clear vision even with the windscreen
lower and his seating position reduced in turn. Sykes
created a kneeling version of the mascot, which
fulfilled this requirement.
The kneeling
version remained after the Second World War for the new
Silver Wraith and Silver Dawn. All following models,
however, sported a standing mascot, although this has
now been reduced in size considerably compared to the
old one.
Silver
Cloud - 1960
Rarely, however, is the correct term "Spirit of
Ecstasy" used - detractors remark this was only
done at the factory in Crewe. The nickname
"Emily" is widespread and Americans speak of
the "Silver Lady" or the "Flying
Lady".
In 1920 Rolls-Royce had taken part in a competition in
Paris for the most apposite mascot in the world. This
they did with a gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy, which
secured Rolls-Royce first place. From then on
gold-plated versions of the Spirit of Ecstasy were
available from the company - at an extra charge.
Safety regulations in some countries turned out to be a
stumbling block to the fitting of the Spirit of Ecstasy.
She qualified as a sharp-edged piece of metal jutting
from the coachwork, which might injure a victim in an
accident. because of this, in Switzerland during the
second half of the seventies, the installation of
mascots on Rolls-Royces was forbidden and purchasers of
a new Rolls-Royce delivered to that country found their
mascot in the glove compartment. The problem was solved
with the Silver Spirit and Silver Spur; at the merest
knock the Spirit of Ecstasy sank into the radiator
surround and vanished out of harms way. Thus were the
safety regulations satisfied.
Seraph
- 2004
The woman who had been the model for the radiator
decoration, was not to appreciate its success. Eleanor
Thornton lost her life when, on 30 December 1915, on the
SS Persia, while on passage to India, was torpedoed off
Crete by a German submarine. She had been accompanying
Lord Montagu who had been directed to take over a
command in India. He was thought to have been killed,
too, but survived and was rescued a few days later by
another ship. On his return to England he read the
obituary articles in the newspapers about his own
demise.
LINKS:
Founding
the company
Post
World War I to World War II
Post-war
to the 1960s
1971
to 2003: decline and rebirth
2003:
New company, new Phantom
RROC,
Rolls - Royce Owners' Club (USA)
Texas
Region of the RROC
Silver
Cloud Society of the RROC
Atlantic
Region of the RROC
Yankee Region of the RROC
Modern Car Society of the RROC
RREC,
Rolls - Royce Enthusiasts' Club (UK)
CCCA,
Classic Car Club of America
Silver
Ghost Association
EXOTIC
TEAK WOOD - FIGUREHEAD
LINK
TO CUTTY SARK - FIGUREHEAD
LINK
TO HMS VICTORY - FIGUREHEAD
LINK
TO HMS WARRIOR - FIGUREHEAD
CLEOPATRA
- QUEEN OF EGYPT
KYLIE
MINOGUE - QUEEN OF POP
ROLLS
ROYCE - FLYING LADY
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