If you were to ask almost anyone in the world what is the best car made, I think a very high percentage would answer, Rolls-Royce. Charles Rolls and Henry Royce formed a partnership in 1904 about the same time as Henry Ford was getting his company operating. Both, of course, were very successful, but their goals were about as far apart as any could be in the same industry.

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Royce built his first car in 1904 and Rolls agreed to buy as many as Royce could make. A partnership was formed. The goal was always quality over quantity and the company, now owned by BMW, currently sells about 6,000 cars a year.

Here’s a little trivia. All Rolls-Royce cars since 1911 have the “Spirit of Ecstasy” nose ornament called a mascot. The story goes that the model for this sculpture was Eleanor Velasco Thornton, the secretary and secret mistress of Lord Montagu, a signi.