Key facts
- Founded
- 1904
- Founded by
- Charles Rolls, Henry Royce
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Headquarters
- Goodwood, West Sussex, United Kingdom
- Parent company
- BMW Group
- Legal name
- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited
- Famous models
- Phantom, Ghost, Cullinan, Spectre
- Slogan
- “The Best Car in the World”
- Website
- www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
The Two Rolls-Royce Logos at a Glance
What is the Rolls-Royce logo called? It has two parts. The Rolls-Royce symbol on the grille is the RR monogram, and the figure on the hood is the Spirit of Ecstasy, strictly a mascot rather than a logo.
Since 2020, the main logo of Rolls-Royce has been a drawing of the Spirit of Ecstasy with a new wordmark. Black Badge cars add a third mark.
| Mark | What it is | Where you see it | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| RR monogram | Two interlocked R’s, the founders’ initials | Radiator grille badge | The first cars of 1906 |
| Spirit of Ecstasy | A woman leaning into the wind, robes flowing behind her | Hood ornament; main brand logo since 2020 | February 1911 |
| Black Badge | Silver RR on black; the Infinity symbol is its hallmark | Black Badge versions of the cars | 2016 |
| Wordmark | ”Rolls-Royce” in Art Deco-style capitals | Brand identity, next to the emblem | August 2020 |
The RR Monogram: Meaning and Design
The two interlocked R’s at the heart of the Rolls-Royce logo are the initials of the founders, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The monogram has barely changed since the first cars; only its color and the badge around it have.
Rolls and Royce met on May 4, 1904, at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. They agreed that Royce’s cars would be sold as Rolls-Royce, and Rolls-Royce Limited was incorporated on March 15, 1906.
Why Two R’s and a Hyphen
The badge carries two R’s but no hyphen. The hyphen belongs to the name, where it joins the two surnames. No source gives it a design meaning. The famous “hyphen” is a person: Claude Johnson, who brought Rolls and Royce together and later ran the company, was nicknamed “the hyphen in Rolls-Royce.”
Why Did the Rolls-Royce Badge Change From Red to Black?
The RR changed from red to black in 1933 (some sources say 1934), reportedly because red sometimes clashed with the paint colors customers chose. Only the letters were red, not the whole badge.
Royce died in 1933, which is why a popular story says the badge turned black in mourning for him. That story is a myth. The change came before his death, and for practical reasons.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars vs Rolls-Royce plc: One Monogram, Two Companies
Two companies use the RR. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, a BMW Group company created in 1998, builds the cars. Rolls-Royce plc, the separate aero-engine maker, uses the monogram too.
When Vickers sold the car business to Volkswagen in 1998, Rolls-Royce plc kept the name and RR logo and licensed them to BMW for £40 million. VW then sold BMW the Spirit of Ecstasy and grille trademarks. BMW’s cars have come from Goodwood since January 1, 2003.
The Spirit of Ecstasy: The Woman on the Rolls-Royce Hood
The Spirit of Ecstasy is the figure on the hood (the bonnet, in British English). Sculptor Charles Sykes designed it, and Rolls-Royce dates it to February 1911. It is the Rolls-Royce emblem most people picture, and the hood ornament many call the flying lady.
The Whisper: The Mascot That Came First
Around 1909, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu asked Sykes for a private mascot for his Silver Ghost. The result was The Whisper, a young woman in fluttering robes with a finger to her lips. Only three or four were ever cast.
The finger is often said to hint at Montagu’s secret romance with his secretary, Eleanor Thornton, or at the quiet engine. Thornton worked on Montagu’s magazine, The Car Illustrated.
Charles Sykes and the 1911 Spirit of Ecstasy
In 1910, Claude Johnson asked Sykes for an official mascot, because owners were fitting ornaments he considered undignified. Rolls-Royce dates the design’s registration to February 6, 1911.
The figure is widely said to have been modeled on Eleanor Thornton, but it is unclear whether she really posed for it. Sykes’s daughter Jo reportedly said it was best to “let the myth prevail.”
What the Flying Lady Represents
Johnson’s brief pointed to the Nike of Samothrace in the Louvre and to the “spirit of speed” combined with silence. Sykes first called his model “The Spirit of Speed.”
Despite the “winged lady” nickname, she has no wings. What look like wings are her robes billowing in the wind. Royce, who was ill at the time, reportedly thought the figure blocked the driver’s view and rarely drove a car with one.
The Kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy (1934)
A lower, crouching version was unveiled on January 26, 1934. It was used from 1934 to 1939 and again from 1946 to 1956, on cars such as the Phantom IV, Silver Dawn and Silver Wraith. The Rolls-Royce emblem has changed in other ways too:
- At first: an optional extra rather than standard fitting; it became standard on later cars.
- Since the 2003 Phantom: a spring-loaded mount lets it retract.
- Finishes: polished stainless steel, 24-carat gold-plated stainless steel, or illuminated frosted crystal.
- Black Badge cars: a gloss-black figure.
The 2022 Spirit of Ecstasy for the Spectre
On February 6, 2022, Rolls-Royce showed a smaller figure for the Spectre, its first electric car, and all future models. It stands 82.73 mm tall instead of 100.01 mm. She leans lower, with one leg forward, and her robes were reshaped for better airflow.
The work, led by design director Anders Warming, took 830 hours of design modeling and wind-tunnel testing.
Rolls-Royce Logo Evolution: 1906 to Today
Many logo sites mix real badges with invented eras. The Rolls-Royce logo history below keeps to verified versions and flags uncertain dates.
1906–1933: The Original Red RR Badge
The first cars carried a radiator badge with the interlocked RR in red enamel. This is the original Rolls-Royce logo.
Many sites show an ornate coat of arms as the “1906 logo.” It cannot be: it includes the Spirit of Ecstasy, which did not exist until 1911. Its real date is unknown.
The Heraldic Badge With Lions (Date Uncertain)
An early heraldic badge set the RR plate between two rampant lions, with wings above, a rose below and a ribbon reading “The Best Car in the World.” Logo sites date it 1911 to 1934, but no primary source confirms those years. Rolls-Royce has not explained the lions or the rose either.
1933: The RR Turns Black
In 1933 the same monogram switched to black enamel on a silver badge, for the reason explained above. This black-on-silver grille badge is still the classic Rolls-Royce logo.
1973 to the Late 1990s: The Blue Rolls-Royce Motors Logo
In 1973 the car business was split off from the nationalized Rolls-Royce Limited as Rolls-Royce Motors. Per logo archives, its logo was a navy rounded square with a large silver-white RR and no lettering; no company source dates it. Vickers bought the company in 1980 and Volkswagen in 1998.
1998–2020: The Silver Plate With ROLLS and ROYCE
This version shows a tall silver plate with ROLLS above the black RR and ROYCE below. Logo sites date it 1998 to 2020 and credit the BMW deal. The layout is older, though: the early heraldic badge already shows it, and BMW licensed the existing logo rather than creating a new one.
2020 to Today: The Stand-Alone RR Monogram
The plain black RR on white that logo sites call the “2020 redesign” of the Rolls-Royce logo is the same monogram on its own. Pentagram left it untouched. The real 2020 changes were the emblem, the wordmark and the colors.
The New Rolls-Royce Logo: The 2020 Brand Identity
On August 25, 2020, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced a new identity by the design firm Pentagram, with partner Marina Willer leading the project. It was rolled out from September 1, 2020. Part of the aim was to set the car brand apart from Rolls-Royce plc, which also uses the RR monogram.
The Spirit of Ecstasy Emblem
A simplified drawing of the Spirit of Ecstasy became the main Rolls-Royce logo. The palette moved from black to a deep purple, with fluorescent orange and pink accents. An “expression generator” creates flowing patterns based on the figure’s curves.
The New Wordmark
The redrawn wordmark takes its cue from the company’s 1930s Art Deco styling, with angled L’s. It is set in a typeface called Riviera Nights and replaced a plainer, more corporate lettering.
Black Badge: The Rolls-Royce Car Logo in Black
Black Badge is Rolls-Royce’s darker sub-brand, launched in 2016 at the Geneva Motor Show on the Wraith and Ghost. It has its own version of the Rolls-Royce car logo.
What the Black Badge Looks Like
The badge reverses the usual colors, with a silver RR on black instead of a black RR on silver. The Spirit of Ecstasy is gloss black, and the Infinity symbol is the sub-brand’s hallmark.
Rolls-Royce Logo Colors and Font
- Colors: the classic badge is a black RR on silver; the stand-alone monogram is black on white. The letters were red until 1933, and logo archives show the 1973 corporate logo in navy. The 2020 identity swapped black for deep purple.
- Monogram lettering: unchanged interlocked serif R’s. Claims that it is an “Art Deco font used since 1906” are wrong, because Art Deco came later.
- Wordmark font: Riviera Nights, since 2020.
Color meanings for the Rolls-Royce logo, such as “red for passion,” come from logo sites, not from the company. The one documented color change had a practical reason.
Rolls-Royce Logo PNG and Usage
To get the Rolls Royce logo as a PNG, use the download button at the top of this page. The name, the RR monogram and the Spirit of Ecstasy are registered trademarks, so use the file for editorial or reference purposes only.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the winged lady on the Rolls-Royce?
The "winged lady" is the Spirit of Ecstasy, also called the Flying Lady, the Silver Lady or simply Eleanor. Charles Sykes sculpted her for Rolls-Royce in 1911. She is not an angel or a bird, and she has no wings at all: the shapes that sweep back from her arms are her windblown robes.
What was the original Rolls-Royce logo?
The original Rolls-Royce logo was a red RR monogram on the radiator badge of the first cars, built from 1906. The letters turned black in 1933 (some sources say 1934). The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot arrived in 1911, but it did not become the brand's main logo until the 2020 identity by Pentagram.
What does the Rolls-Royce symbol mean?
The double R stands for the two founders, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The Spirit of Ecstasy was meant to capture the spirit of speed combined with silence, following Claude Johnson's 1910 brief. The meanings that logo sites give to colors, lions or roses in old crests do not come from Rolls-Royce.
How much does a Rolls-Royce emblem cost?
There is no single price, because it depends on the part and the finish. The Spirit of Ecstasy comes in polished stainless steel, 24-carat gold-plated stainless steel or illuminated frosted crystal, and a grille badge is a different part again. Price ranges repeated on logo sites have no traceable source, so ask a Rolls-Royce dealer for a current quote.
Is Rolls-Royce owned by BMW?
Yes. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the German BMW Group. It was set up in 1998 and has built its cars at Goodwood in West Sussex, England, since 2003, so the brand is British and its owner is German. The aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce plc is a separate business.
Is Bentley the same as Rolls-Royce?
No, although the two were linked for decades after Rolls-Royce bought Bentley in 1931. In 1998 Volkswagen bought the combined business, outbidding BMW by about £430 million to £340 million, but BMW secured the Rolls-Royce name and logo. The brands parted in 2003, and Bentley stays with Volkswagen.
What is Rolls-Royce's slogan?
The line most associated with Rolls-Royce is "The Best Car in the World." It appears on the ribbon of an early heraldic badge, next to the RR plate and two lions. When the brand launched its new identity in 2020, design press described the change as a move beyond that long-standing positioning.
Why is it called Rolls-Royce?
The name joins the surnames of its founders, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. After they met in Manchester in 1904, they agreed that Royce's cars would be sold under both names. It is often written Rolls Royce without the hyphen, but the company's own name is hyphenated.
