Mystique of vintage cars
The car’s journey began soon after Royce could afford to buy his first car in 1903 at the age of 40
Most people today are interested in new cars and their new technologies but many continue to be fascinated by antique, vintage and classic cars that tell the story of how auto technologies evolved. Antique cars are loosely described as the cars made before World War I, Vintage the cars made between the Wars, and classics were the outstanding cars like the Jeep, the VW Beatle, the 55 Chevvy, Mercedes SLR and others that changed the history of cars.
The Rolls Royce was not a pioneer but it continues to fascinate us all because it became a metaphor of the best and most luxurious cars that Man can make. Although the name Royce has a royal ring to it, the designer Fredrick Henry Royce was an almost uneducated and poor young man. He had been orphaned at the age of 11 and had little more than basic experience as a young apprentice in a railway workshop and two electric companies. But he taught himself mathematics and engineering with such determination that by the age of 21 he set up his own company making electric devices, electric cranes, and motors of an original design. Beginning with nothing in life except his mechanical genius, he was destined to make a small fortune through his single-minded passion for perfection.
The car’s journey began soon after Royce could afford to buy his first car in 1903 at the age of 40. Dissatisfied with his second-hand French Decauville, he decided that he could build a better car himself. In just over a year, in a primitive workshop with just the help of two workers, he was able to make three complete 2,000cc, 2-cylinder cars of his own design with almost every part made by hand. He had every tooth of every gear ground to a fine finish to make them remarkably silent and smooth running. The first car rolled out on April 1, 1904. The engines were so silent that they inspired the names of Ghost, Phantom, Wraith, Cloud, Dawn and
Shadow over the years.
Charles Stewart Rolls, by contrast, was born rich and had been educated at Eton and Cambridge. He loved cars and had achieved a land speed record of, for the times, an incredible 150-kmph (93-mph). He was sceptical when he heard about the new car built by Royce. But when he tried the car, he immediately recognised that with a car of such quality he could make his name. Rolls was killed in a flying accident in 1910 but the cars continued to be called Rolls Royce.
Rolls entered the new cars in many car races and in 1905 a Rolls-Royce `20’ came second in a field of 42 cars in its first outing at the 208-mile Isle of Man Tourist Trophy clocking a dazzling speed of 33.7 mph. Other models fared well in Monte Carlo and other races in the following years. In 1907, a new 6-cylinder 40/50 hp Silver Ghost beat the world long distance record of 7,089 miles. It used to be said that a Rolls Royce never breaks down but sometimes just fails to proceed.
Over 20,000 Rolls were made before WWII. During the War, RR went into manufacturing of aero engines including the Merlin that powered the Spitfire. Indian maharajas were major RR clients and bought a quarter of all the Rolls built before the World War II.
(The author is the region’s most celebrated automobile columnist)