SimplyAbuDhabi XXXVIII

Origins of an icon Lord Montagu of Beaulieu (1866-1929) was one of Britain’s motoring pioneers. As founder and editor of The Car Illustrated magazine, he employed an illustrator, Charles Sykes. In1909, Lord Montagu commissioned Sykes (who was also a sculptor) to create a mascot for his Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Sykes produced a bronze statue of a young woman in fluttering robes, which he named the ‘Whisper’. Soon, other owners were having their own ornaments made, much to the displeasure of Rolls-Royce General Managing Director, Claude Johnson. In 1911, Johnson instructed Sykes to design an ‘official’ mascot to protect the company’s products from these ‘unsightly’ additions. The ever-practical Sykes subtly reinterpreted ‘The Whisper’ and created what became known as the Spirit of Ecstasy. The design was registered as the company’s intellectual property in 1911 and became both a defining feature of the Rolls-Royce brand and one of the most famous, iconic and desirable emblems in the world. Originally a statuesque seven inches (c. 18cm) tall, the Spirit of Ecstasy today stands a more petite three and ¾ inches (9.5cm) high. In the 1970s, some countries tried to ban the mascot on safety grounds. In Switzerland, for example, customers weren’t allowed to display her at all, and on receiving their cars found her languishing in the glove compartment. Rolls-Royce’s typically elegant and ingenious solution was to mount the mascot on a spring-loaded base, allowing her to sink into the radiator out of harm’s way at the merest touch. This retraction mechanism has evolved into a smooth, graceful movement known as ‘the rise’ and is a standard feature on every Rolls-Royce motor car hand- built at Goodwood. Celebrating 110 Years of the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy 234 | Simply Abu Dhabi