Transcript
Introduction
"The historic first meeting of Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls took place on May 4, 1904. The two men could have hardly come from more different backgrounds. C.S. Rolls had been educated at Cambridge and moved comfortably in London society among his aristocratic and wealthy friends. Henry Royce had known poverty and hardship all his life. The only university he had graduated from was the one of hard knocks. The one characteristic they both had in common was a certain prickliness, perhaps in both cases, born of shyness than arrogance." And here's a quote from Rolls describing his meeting with Royce a few years later. And he says, "You may ask yourself how it was that I came to be associated with Mr. Royce, and Mr. Royce with me. Well, for a considerable number of years, I had been actively engaged in the sale of foreign cars.
And the reason for this was that I wanted to be able to recommend and sell the best cars in the world, irrespective of origin. The cars I sold were, I believe, the best that could be got at that time. But somehow, I always had a sort of feeling that I should prefer to be selling English instead of foreign goods. In addition, I could distinctly notice a growing desire on the part of my clients to purchase English-made cars. Yet, I was disinclined to embark in a factory and manufacture myself. Firstly, on account of my own incompetence and inexperience in such matters. And secondly, on account of the enormous risks involved. At the same time, I could not come across any English-made car that I really liked. Eventually, however, I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Mr. Royce. And in him, I found the man I had been looking for, for years."