Supercar Blondie answers your most Googled questions on Rolls-Royce
- Rolls-Royce has always been among the most elegant car brands
- The British brand has always emphasised luxury, class, and opulence
- We’ve decided, at Supercar Blondie, to put together a beginner’s guide on Rolls-Royce
Published on Feb 18, 2025 at 1:18 PM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Feb 18, 2025 at 3:47 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Rolls-Royce is the epitome of luxury, and we are big fans here at Supercar Blondie.
Ever since the company first started making cars, the British brand has become the embodiment of class and style.
The brand, now owned by BMW, remains synonymous with quality, craftsmanship and elegance.
This is your Supercar Blondie guide to all things Rolls Royce.
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Who founded Rolls-Royce? When were they founded?
Rolls-Royce actually started as a collaboration in Manchester, England.
Henry Royce, an electrical and mechanical business owner, met Charles Rolls, a car dealership owner, at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on May 4th, 1904.
You can still see a fancy old Rolls-Royce outside that hotel that celebrates their meeting, as it happens.
Charles Rolls was captivated by Henry Royce’s talents for engineering and car building.
On December 23rd, 1904, they signed an agreement, whereby Charles Rolls agreed to sell every car Henry Royce made.
They would be sold under the name Rolls-Royce – and it was off to the races from there.
Where are their cars made?
Rolls-Royce cars are (naturally) made in a truly beautiful location.
When BMW acquired Rolls-Royce in 1998, it built a brand-new factory (as well as headquarters for all global operations) in Goodwood, West Sussex.
Goodwood lies in the heart of the South Downs National Park (a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).
The word ‘Goodwood’ should ring a bell – that’s because the Rolls-Royce factory is close to the Goodwood Motor Circuit.
The factory is also just 10 miles from a village called West Kittering. Why is this important? Because this was the village where Henry Royce lived from 1917 until his sad passing in 1933.
What is the fastest Rolls-Royce?
At the moment, that would be the Wraith Black Badge.
In many ways, the Wraith Black Badge is the perfect luxury car.
It’s basically a mansion on wheels, but it can keep up with quite a number of supercars.
It’s 6.6 liter V12 ensures a top speed of around 155mph, and a 0-60 time of just 4.4 seconds.
In case you don’t believe us, have a listen to this.
When it was released in 2016, the Wraith Black Badge took on Goodwood’s Festival of Speed.
It beat out, among others, a Jaguar F-Type SVR, a McLaren P1 GTR, and an Aston Martin Vantage GT8. Not bad for a mobile palace, eh?
What is the most expensive Rolls-Royce?
Now we’re getting into rarefied air here.
Allow us to present the Rolls-Royce Sweptail.
This car is so expensive…that nobody actually knows how expensive it is.
The Sweptail is a one-off commission car, designed and curated exclusively for a particular individual.
The person that bought it wanted it to emulate and throwback to the days of coach building in the 1920s/1930s.
It was commissioned in 2013, and hand-built for four years.
When it debuted in 2017, it was estimated to be the most expensive car ever made, with an estimated cost of around $12 million.
Who owns the most expensive Rolls-Royce?
That honour goes to Mr Sam Li of Hong Kong.
Mr Li is the son of a billionaire real estate developer, a man named Samuel Tak Lee.
Mr Li had the Sweptail personally commissioned by Rolls-Royce, and it remains the most expensive Rolls-Royce ever manufactured.
What other models do the brand build?
Quite a few, actually. In fact, here at Supercar Blondie, we’ve written about most of them!
The current Rolls-Royce line-up includes the centre-piece Phantom, which is the main feature in their line-up.
It also includes the Cullinan, the sometimes-divisive SUV which was first introduced in 2018.
Next up is the Ghost, a car which is soon-to-be replaced.
One of Rolls-Royce’s most exclusive cars, the Ghost is set to be replaced in 2030 by electric offerings from the British brand.
Rounding out the Rolls-Royce range is a pair of twins: the hard-top Wraith and the convertible version, the Dawn.
Like it’s sibling, the Ghost, the Wraith/Dawn were discontinued (in 2023) in order to make room for the future electric offerings by the brand.
What optional extras can you buy?
As it turns out, quite a lot.
The Cullinan, Wraith, Ghost and Dawn all come with ‘Black Badge’ variants.
‘Black Badge’ variants of models include bespoke finishes to the interior and exterior of their models.
They also come with more power, higher torque and better performance and handling, too.
Of course, if you’re a real high roller, you could just follow Sam Li’s example and commission your own four-wheeled mansion.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
