When you hear the words Rolls-Royce, what do you think? Style? Expensive? Luxury? Well, the correct answer is all of the above, and today we are going to talk a little about the history of Rolls-Royce automobiles and then about Rolls-Royce used parts.
It all began in 1884 when Henry Royce opened an electrical and mechanical business in Manchester, England. He made his first car, the 2-cylinder Royce 10, in 1904. Shortly thereafter he was introduced to Charles Rolls, who owned a car dealership in Fulham.
The two got along, and Rolls was impressed with the then four Royce models, the 10 hp, the 15 hp, the 20 hp and the 30 horsepower Royces. They went into partnership together and called their new company Rolls-Royce Limited in 1906; that same year experiments were done on a new engine, a 40/50 horsepower engine. It took some time but in 1925 this new model was manufactured under the new name the Silver Ghost, and that became not only the signature car under the company name but the only car made by that company. It was so successful that a manufacturing plant was even opened in Springfield, Massachusetts, to produce cars for the American market.
In 1931 Rolls-Royce acquired a struggling car company called Bently and began manufacturing those as well, basically using the same parts for both cars with the exception of the radiator grille and minor other parts. The only other major change was a move of production facilities in 1946 to Crewe, where a new steel chassis was produced and the entire car was produced there rather than leaving body production to other specialists.
So there you have it! One car manufacturer making a living producing one model of car, but oh, what a car! If you want luxury then you might just want a Rolls-Royce! If you want status then you just might want a Rolls-Royce! But what about those replacement parts? How expensive are they? Let’s say you needed a new radiator for the Silver Ghost? What could you expect to pay?
Well, the quick answer is a lot! These are luxury cars at luxury prices, and replacement auto parts are very, very expensive. A new transmission? A new engine? Heck, a new fuel pump….all are expensive…unless!
Unless you choose to go to a salvage yard and pick up some recycled parts. Places like All Import Auto Parts specialize in used parts for most import models, and you can save upwards of 50% on most used parts. As a matter of economics, why wouldn’t you?