Rolls-Royce Motors Cars - Striving for perfection

Even before construction of Goodwood began, Rolls-Royce, alongside architect Sir Nicolas Grimshaw, wanted the facility to blend in with the surroundings and be as environmentally friendly as possible. Located on the south end of the Goodwood Estate, sharing its location with the home of classic motor racing events such as the Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed, Rolls-Royce's glass-walled, semi-sunken plant is practically invisible from neighbouring Downs thanks to a 35.000sqm green roof covered in grass.

Inside, the assembly line is more like a design studio than a manufacturing plant, as it is bathed in glorious natural light. Close to 1000 workers are on site at any one time, with production split into two shifts for the Ghost and only one for the Phantom. Only two aspects of production don't take place at Goodwood; welding of the vehicle bodies and applying the first two layers of paint takes place in Germany. Using a rotation-dip system, the phosphate and e-coat layers are applied to the body before being shipped to Goodwood. The only robots in operation at Goodwood are then used to apply the primer, base coat, first and second clear coats. Even if it is machine assisted, everything else is assembled by hand. Once all the coats have been applied, a team of four staff, each responsible for one quarter of the car, work for up to five hours polishing the paintwork to achieve a flawless finish. Anything which could jeopardise the paint's finish is taken into consideration. Paint shop employees are not allowed to wear perfume or hairspray while working on the car, as Marco Jahn, Corporate Communications Officer at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars explains: “Rolls-Royce provides staff with deodorant sticks instead of sprays, because this would contaminate the air and damage the paintwork.”

Once the paint process is complete, the bare bodyshells reach the first stage of the assembly line. Each car passes through at least 60 pairs of hands, with each process completed and documented thoroughly. Hundreds of sub-assemblies ranging from the car’s engine to the interior seating line the main assembly route as each vehicle’s unique character begins to grow. Even though Rolls-Royce's history is centred on classic style and tradition, the company relies on the latest technology to ensure its range of vehicles is precisely manufactured. “Certain essential joints are secured by a controlled wrench which has Wi-Fi access. The tool is controlled by a computer to ensure every screw is in the correct place by the millimetre,” says Jahn.

The Yellow Rolls Royce

The Royal Livingstone is our gracious five-star hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River. It exudes the luxury of days gone by. There is nothing more fitting than to be transported to and from this elegant hotel in a vintage car and at the Falls Resort we can offer such an experience. A yellow open-top Rolls Royce is often found at our entrance awaiting special guests.

The car found its way to Africa in 1929 when it was bought by Sir Hugh Gwynne Levic. It was shipped to South Africa on a boat named the Windsor Castle. Sir Hugh must have been very proud of his car as he showed it at the Johannesburg Show in 1930.

The car changed owners several times but eventually found its way to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). It was not in good shape. It was bought by Julian Hobbs who endeavored to rebuild the car using pieces from other vehicles. However, Julian had to leave Northern Rhodesia in 1963 with the project unfinished. The car then again changed hands several times until finally it was purchased by Peter Jones of Livingstone in 2006.

By now, the car was almost 80 years old and in desperate need of tender loving care. It got all the care it could wish for with Bryne Nel, who has a passion for old cars. Bryne put the Rolls Royce back to how it should be, painting it yellow and black.

I wonder what stories the car could tell! In 1929 the African continent was still being explored and rough dirt roads were the order of the day.

There has been so much change since then. Importantly for the Rolls Royce, our roads are now tarred and it does not have to bump over rutted roads through untamed forests. It glides from the Royal Livingstone through the Mosi-oa-Tunya Park along the main highway. It may, of course, meet up with an elephant or two, but that is to be expected.

Driving through the historic town center of Livingstone past the Capitol Cinema which dates from 1931 and Finance Bank which was built in 1930, one can imagine being back in those old days. And just like people did back in 1929, they stop and stare and the children wave as the Rolls Royce drives past.

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