The story
Founded by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce on Mar 15, 1906, in Manchester.1
1973 Rolls-Royce Motors
Rolls-Royce Motors Limited was incorporated on 25 April 1971, two and a half months after Rolls-Royce fell into receivership. Under the ownership of the receiver, it began to trade in April 1971 – manufacturing motor cars, diesel and petrol engines, coachwork and other items previously made by Rolls-Royce's motor car and diesel divisions and Mulliner Park Ward. It continued to take on precision engineering work on sub-contracts.
In June 1971, it acquired all the business and assets used by the motor car and diesel divisions of Rolls-Royce and Mulliner Park Ward. Rolls-Royce Motors' permitted uses of the various Rolls-Royce trade marks were very precisely defined.
At the end of 1972, Rolls-Royce Motors employees in the United Kingdom numbered 5,855 in the car division and 2,311 in the diesel division, for a total of 8,166 people. In May 1973, the business was sold to Rolls-Royce Motors Holdings Limited in preparation for its public flotation.
Car Division
At that time, the Car Division, as well as making cars and special coachwork, carried out investment foundry work and the machining of aero-engine components. It also produced piston engines for light aircraft, together with other petrol and multi-fuel engines. Both divisions carried out development work for the British government.
The car division's headquarters were in Pym's Lane and Minshull New Road, Crewe. Bespoke coachbuilding remained in Hythe Road and High Road, Willesden, London. The Crewe former shadow factory premises were bought from the government at this time.
Diesel Division
The Diesel Division made several types of diesel engine at its premises in Whitchurch Road, Shrewsbury, as well as combustion equipment for aero turbine engines.
Rolls-Royce Motors products
Motor cars
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Diesel engines
Aero turbine engine components and aircraft piston engines mainly for Rolls-Royce 1971
Other engines and products:
B range of 6 and 8-cylinder petrol engines
K range of multi-fuel engines
various transmissions for fighting and other vehicles
diesel shunting locomotives (Thomas Hill (Rotherham))
Flotation of Rolls-Royce Motors Holdings
In the event, the flotation met with a disappointing public response, and more than 80 per cent of the issue was left in the hands of the underwriters.
Merger with Vickers
On 6 August 1980, the shareholders' agreement to the merger of Rolls-Royce Motors Holdings and Vickers Limited became unconditional. Vickers would sell Rolls-Royce Motors to Volkswagen Group in 1998 without the trademark, which was controlled by the aeroengine company, so it was renamed to Bentley Motors, with BMW then establishing a new manufacturer named Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Perkins Engines
The Rolls-Royce diesel business was acquired from Vickers in 1984 by Perkins Engines. Perkins further developed the Eagle Diesels into the Perkins TX series of engines.
1977 Rolls-Royce drops (1971) from its name
The name of Rolls-Royce (1971) Limited was changed to Rolls-Royce Limited on 31 December 1977 the end of the company's financial year. The original Rolls-Royce Limited incorporated in 1906 and still in liquidation had been renamed R-R Realisations Limited and had consented in March 1977 to the (1971) company being named Rolls-Royce Limited
Limited was replaced by plc (public limited company) in the summer of 1986 so shares could be offered to the public and traded on sharemarkets.
1987 privatisation
In April 1987, the government offered for sale all Rolls-Royce plc shares. The heavily advertised issue was a remarkable success.
Rolls-Royce's was an exceptionally long-term business. Before a civil aero engine went into service, its development could take 4 to 6 years, military engines often longer. Production might then extend a further 50 years including the manufacture of spare parts required long after complete engine production ends.
Competition
Rolls-Royce's competitors were GE and Pratt & Whitney (UTC). Aero engines were then only a part of GE and UTC activities as major industrial groups.
Others included SNECMA, Turbomeca, MTU, Fiat Aviazione in Europe and USA's Avco, Garrett and General Motors' Allison. Despite the field being exceptionally competitive, a number of the smaller manufacturers were already in collaboration with GE or with other smaller manufacturers, as was Rolls-Royce as well.
A marketing survey in 1987 showed that only Coca-Cola was a more widely known brand than Rolls-Royce.
Divisions and products
At that time Rolls-Royce was organised into five business groups:
1. ICEG Civil Aero – demand governed by airline activity and profitability
major engines in 1987:
RB211-524, 535 series;
IAE V2500 for Airbus A320, a consortium of Rolls-Royce 30%, Pratt & Whitney 30%, JAEC 23%, MTU 11% and Fiat 6%
Tay, a development of the Spey superfan
engines out of production but generating a significant demand for spares
Avon (1951), Conway (1960), Dart (1953), Olympus 593 (1976), RB211-22B (1972), Spey (1964), Tyne (1960)
2. MEG Military Aero – demand had been stable recently and so of major importance to Rolls-Royce
major engines in 1987:
RB199
Pegasus (with vectored thrust for VTOL combat aircraft)
Adour
Spey
Viper
EJ200
helicopter engines
Gnome
Gem
RTM322
missile engines
Odin
3. I&M Industrial and Marine – aero derived gas turbine engines
4. Repair and Overhaul
5. Nuclear – submarine steam-raising equipment
together with these Services:
Supply
Corporate Engineering
From Wikipedia’s article on Rolls-Royce Limited, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3