Few automobile emblems are as recognizable as Rolls-Royce's legendary "Spirit of Ecstasy," a forward leaning woman with billowing fabric in the shape of wings whose forward gaze suggests both speed and elegance.
The memorable mascot comes from Charles Robinson Sykes, a British sculptor who unveiled the design in 1911 under commission of the second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. A fashion of the time was to put striking mascots on cars as a way to give the car a unique flair and a beautiful, ornamental showpiece. The model for the original design was Eleanor Thornton who had a secret love with Lord Montagu that remained hidden for decades. Sykes gave a small nod of acknowledgement to their affair by having the first sculpture with its finger over its lips, known affectionately as "The Whisper." It was later modified for the company into the well-known sight that adorns all of Ambassador's Rolls Rolls-Royce limousines.
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| Lord Montagu and Eleanor Thornton |
Charles Sykes created the ubiquitous sculpture using an ancient but popular sculpting method called 'lost-wax casting.' The artist creates an initial figure out of a soft material like wax or clay. A mold is made into which hot wax is poured and a cast is achieved. It's then placed in a final, fire-proof coating which allows for molten metals to poured in, destroying the wax and leaving a single, unique statue behind. The molds have to be made again and again because they are broken in order to retrieve the sculpture. For this reason, you see many slight differences between the hood ornaments of any vintage Rolls-Royce vehicle.
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| Click to see the image in full size |
Interestingly, Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, was entirely opposed to the mascot on the hood. He felt it was tacky and distracted the view of the driver as well as compromised the sleek design of the car's bow. It's said that the original order to make the statues a common sight on Rolls-Royce cars was taken while Royce, the head engineer, was out with an illness. Royce himself almost never drove any of his cars with the Spirit of Ecstasy on them.
Sykes was again commissioned to make variations of the statue for Rolls-Royce partly because of the complaints fielded by Royce. The company sought a smaller, less distracting iteration of the design so Sykes unveiled a kneeling version in 1934 which made the statue slightly less prominent while still retaining the character of the first statue. Later on, the company returned to the standing design but reduced its size to achieve the same goal.
Fortunately, Ambassador's Rolls is a veritable museum of the changes to the hood ornaments. All three of our Rolls-Royce limousines feature one of the statues discussed above. Take a look for yourself:
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As you can see, the Phantom III has the original standing design and in person it is a sight to behold indeed. It's a large and impressive statue that commands attention and turns heads, a symbol of total luxury. The 1955 Silver Wraith sports the later kneeling version of Eleanor which changes the scale of the object very noticeably. The charm of the first statue comes shining through regardless, untarnished by the changed pose. In many ways it seems to convey even more of a sense of speed and movement, as if the lady is in the midst taking off for a grand flight. And finally, our 1977 Silver Jubilee has the size-reduced standing original sculpture which features a crisper and sharper edge to its sculpture with a less mirrored finish. You can almost see wind rippling the fabric of her wings and dress, eliciting the same royal elegance of the other statues.
These are objects you truly must view in person, Rolls-Royce vehicles are incredible down to the smallest details - whether it's tiny emblems hidden in the headlights and driver's compartments or it's the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornaments, you cannot see one of these cars and forget the experience. Our shop is always open to tours so if you're interested in booking a car, come down to our shop in the RiNo district and take a look, just don't forget to bring a camera!
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| Click to see the image in full size |
Call us at 303-293-2719 or
visit our website. Somewhere in between the royal sensibility of these cars and the timeless beauty of their designs, you'll find at least one car you will be thrilled to have at your special event.
Special thanks to The Daily Mail for the original photo of Lord Montagu / Eleanor
