About This Quiz
Ah, the Rolls-Royce. Few other brand names carry such a suggestion of wealth and luxury. From Jay Leno to Jay-Z, the rich and famous love these cars. Just consider the number of name-checks the Rolls-Royce brand gets in hip-hop lyrics; stars are forever "roll(ing) up to the club in the Ghost." Or the Wraith, or the Phantom -- it's a Rolls-Royce tradition to take names from the world of the paranormal.Â
The Rolls-Royce brand goes back to the early 20th century, when an automotive engineer and a salesman fascinated with vehicles of all kinds -- cars, bicycles, airplanes and hot-air balloons -- went into business together. Their goal was to create the world's best-made car: reliable, durable, powerful and comfortable. From those beginnings, Rolls-Royce became a thriving company and an increasingly prestigious brand. It has survived the premature death of one of its founders, a near-bankruptcy and receivership, and now foreign ownership. Even now, its high standards and production costs limit it to making 6,000 cars per year. These few cars are eagerly purchased by celebrities with famous faces, as well as billionaires whose faces the world doesn't know, but who could probably buy and sell celebrities half a dozen at a time.Â
How much do you know about this prestigious car brand and its history? Prove your Rolls-Royce savvy, or learn a few new things, with our quiz!
If "Cadillac" is a shorthand for wealth -- at least, a six-figure income -- "Rolls-Royce" is the symbol of the one percenter. It didn't start out that way, though. Early on, the company made its selling point the durability of their cars.
Rolls-Royce is a classic English company. When it began to struggle financially, the UK government bought it, to keep it alive.
The "marriage" of an automotive engineer and a car salesman was a match made in heaven. They met in 1904.
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Charles Rolls began making cars in Manchester, which is where he met Henry Royce. However, they chose to situate their first plant just outside Derby.
Rolls was interested in more than one kind of machine; he liked bicycles, balloons and airplanes as well as cars. He made more than 150 balloon flights, and bought an early airplane licensed by America's Wright Brothers.
While there have been small cars with as little as 2 horsepower (see the Citroen "deux chevaux"), the larger bodies of early cars needed stronger engines. The first line of Rolls-Royces were planned to have from 10 hp to 30 hp.
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Rolls-Royce has a tradition of taking names from the world of the paranormal. "Ram" is, of course, a line of Dodge trucks.
The sculptor used a socialite of the time, Eleanor Thornton, as his model. Somehow, the figurine has gotten the nickname "Emily" instead, as well as the "Flying Lady" and the "Silver Lady."
This most obvious answer here is the correct one. The logo simply represents the company's name.
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Today, this is better known as the Paris Auto Show. It was there that the Rolls-Royce 10 hp made its debut.
If Springfield's name is familiar, it's probably for other reasons than once hosting a Rolls-Royce factory. The famous "Springfield rifle" was made at its armory, and James Naismith created the game of basketball there.
Bentley was known for making smaller racing and sports cars. But one of the things Rolls-Royce did after buying the company was shut down production of Bentley's larger, 8-liter model, which was too similar to the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
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This early model was simply named for its horsepower. But when a individual car was named "the Silver Ghost," the nickname caught on.
That seems like a lot for the very early 20th century, when few people could afford cars. However, this was over a time span of 20 years, which puts the number in perspective.
The company began making engines in the early 20th century. Even today, you might fly on a jet powered by Rolls-Royce engines.
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World War I was the first war to substantially use air warfare. The need for planes and engines inevitably pulled Rolls-Royce into a new line of production.
The Silver Cloud rolled out in 1955. It was an update of the earlier "Silver Dawn."
If the third member of the top management had had the name "Rollins," it probably would have become part of the name, to facilitate a triple-R logo. As it was, Johnson had to call himself "the hyphen in the Rolls-Royce name."
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This is a common misconception. It is actually long, fluttering robes that give the "Silver Lady" the illusion of wings.
We can't rule out that puncture wounds to hapless pedestrians were a possibility -- but only the first two reasons have been cited. Rolls-Royce changed the plating to nickel to resolve the first issue, and designed a kneeling version of the Silver Lady to improve visibility.
"Saloon" means "sedan" in UK English. There are more specifics to this body style than just having four doors and a trunk, but if you're a car buff, you already know them, and if you're not, well, you don't care!
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The de-merger and nationalization of Rolls-Royce is so complicated that you almost need a business degree to understand it. Suffice it to say that Rolls-Royce was a national icon that the British government did not want to allow to fail.
Rolls-Royce had committed to creating this powerful new engine for US airframe makers. However, a brilliant chief engineer died in the middle of its development, the process dragged on, and cost overruns threatened to bring Rolls-Royce down.
Clarkson is rich, but we don't think he can afford a luxury car line! German company BMW is the current owner.
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Is it any surprise that the land of NBA stars and hip-hip millionaires buys the most Rolls-Royces? China is the second-largest market.
This is a risky move on Rolls-Royce's part. SUVs had their heyday in the 1990s and 2000s, but fluctuating fuel prices have made them less popular. The company will release the "Cullinan," named for the largest diamond ever found, in 2019.
Sykes is best known for his work on the mascot. His first version, featuring the Lady with her finger to her lips, is called "The Whisper" and is displayed at the National Motor Museum in England.
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That's right, even "Working Class Hero" John Lennon owned a Rolls. It was a Phantom V, which he had painted to look like a gypsy wagon, presumably in an attempt to fend off accusations that he'd gone posh.
"Drophead coupe" is a fancy name for a convertible. Among others, Khloe Kardashian owns one.
Approximately 4,000 was the number in 2016. This was probably due to a strong stock economy in both the USA and China, big markets for Rolls. The company is only capable of producing 6,000 cars per year, at any rate.
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About 1 in 5 Rolls buyers has a famous name, including two Kardashians, Simon Cowell, Jay-Z, Jay Leno and more. That still leaves room for a lot of captains of industry, governments and more.
Not surprisingly, this car was made to be sold in China. It included hand-stitched rear seat cushions and the "Phantom" name in gold. (Should people in a Communist country be driving these?)
Rolls died in a flying demonstration, when the tail of his plane broke off. His was the first aviation fatality in the UK (not counting ballooning accidents).
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Actually, the list analyzed songs from May 2014 to May 2015. It didn't just count shout-outs to car brands, but any brand. Rolls was the most often mentioned, followed by Ferrari and then by Hennessy whiskey.