THE GROWTH OF A LEGEND: Success with the new cars led to the formation of the Rolls-Royce company in March 1906 and to the launch of the six-cylinder Silver Ghost that, within a year, was hailed as 'the best car in the world.'
1906-1908: Rolls was a pioneer aviator. He first met the Wright brothers in 1906 and had his first flight with Wilbur Wright in 1908. He repeatedly tried but failed to convince Rolls-Royce to manufacture aero-engines at this time - a vision that was to be later realised after his death.
1910: Rolls' outstanding flying achievement was the first two-way crossing of the English Channel on 2 June 1910. The partnership between Rolls and Royce ended on July 12, 1910, with the death of Charles Rolls when his modified French-built Wright Flyer crashed making him the first Englishman to die in an air crash.
1914: At the start of the First World War, Royce designed his first aero engine - the Eagle. His designs provided around half of the total horsepower used in the air war by the allies, and the Eagle also powered the first direct transatlantic flight as well as the first flight from England to Australia - both in Vickers Vimy aircraft.
The famous 'Spirit of Ecstasy' logo displayed on the bonnet of the newly unveiled Rolls-Royce 'Phantom' model. The Phantom is the first entirely new Rolls-Royce built from the ground-up since German car manufacturer BMW acquired the luxury brand in July 1998.
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