This Is Where The Founders Of Rolls-Royce, Rolls And Royce, First Met – Their First Car

This is where the founders of Rolls-Royce, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, first met – their company’s first car. 

The founders of Rolls-Royce officially founded the Rolls-Royce Limited on March 15th 1906. 

But Rolls and Royce partnership began in May 4th 1904 at an arranged lunch at the Midland Hotel in Manchester.

First car from their collaboration, the 10 hp, badged as a Rolls-Royce, was a development of Royce’s first car, the Royce 10.

The founders of Rolls-Royce, Charles Rolls and Sir Frederick Henry Royce, officially founded the Rolls-Royce Limited on March 15th 1906, but their partnership began in May 4th 1904 at an arranged lunch at the Midland Hotel in Manchester.

Rolls and Royce first meeting was arranged by Henry Edmunds, a friend of Rolls and a shareholder in Royce’s automobile business. Before then, Rolls had a company that sells quality cars in London, while Royce, an engineer, was known for his first car, the Royce 10.

Midland Hotel in Manchester

Rolls-Royce founders, Charles Rolls (left) and Sir Frederick Henry Royce (right). 

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Rolls-Royce 10 hp

The first car from their collaboration, the 10 hp, badged as a Rolls-Royce, was a development of Henry Royce’s first car, the Royce 10. It was sold exclusively by Rolls’ motor dealership, C.S.Rolls & Co., at a price of £395.

Success with the cars led to the
formation of the Rolls-Royce company in March 1906 and to the launch of the six-cylinder Silver Ghost which, within a year, was hailed as ‘the best car in
the world’.

While Rolls was appointed chief engineer and works director at Rolls-Royce Limited, Royce provided the technical expertise to complement Rolls’ financial backing and business acumen.

Rolls came from an affluent family and had a formal education, while Henry Royce, came from a humble background. Despite being from very different backgrounds, the founders of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars formed an unlikely partnership – “one forged from a shared passion for engineering and a desire to create the Best Car in the World”.

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