When Did Rolls-Royce Start Making Airplane Engines & How Did It Get Into The Industry?

Car enthusiasts will know Rolls-Royce as a maker of ultra-luxury cars, and aviation enthusiasts will know Rolls-Royce as a maker of engines for some of the world's most famous aircraft. Originally, the two companies were one and the same, but Rolls-Royce plc and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have operated as two separate entities since 1971. 

The original Rolls-Royce company was founded in the early 1900s, when engineer and businessman Henry Royce partnered with leading car dealer Charles Rolls. The partnership began in 1904 and, by 1906, the company had launched the 40/50 HP "Silver Ghost," which proved hugely popular with wealthy buyers and remains one of the automaker's best-ever designs.

The company's expertise in making automotive engines meant that, during World War I, it was called upon to design aero engines for the British military. The Eagle, Rolls-Royce's first aero engine, was designed between 1914 and 1915, primarily by Henry Royce. At the time, Royce was forced to work from his house in the south of England due to ill health, with his design team joining him at his home before sending his instructions to the Rolls-Royce factory around 200 miles north. Despite the impracticality of shipping countless design revisions up and down the country, the initial engine design was completed in a matter of months, with the first airplane equipped with a Rolls-Royce engine taking flight in December 1915.

The Eagle engine design continued to be revised throughout World War I and in the years immediately following the war. It was used in a variety of record-setting aircraft, including the first plane to fly from England to Australia. However, much like his cars, Royce was always looking to improve on his aero engine designs.

In 1925, Rolls-Royce started work on the Kestrel 12-cylinder engine, which could develop up to 745 horsepower. A few years later, the company launched the Buzzard engine, which made 825 horsepower. In 1931, Rolls-Royce launched its R engine, which made a staggering 2,783 horsepower in its most powerful form. As well as setting a new air speed record, the R engine would also form the basis of the iconic Merlin engine that played a pivotal role in the Allies' success in World War II.

After the war, Rolls-Royce expanded its aero engine building operations to venture into the burgeoning civilian aircraft market. Its first civilian aircraft engine, the Dart turboprop engine, was launched in 1953. The '60s saw jet airliners emerge as the aircraft of choice for discerning passengers, and as a result, the company started work on its first civilian jet engine, the RB211, in 1960. Lockheed was the first manufacturer to order the engine in 1968, but financial issues at Rolls-Royce meant that it ran out of funds before completing the engine.

Rolls-Royce collapsed in 1971, but the British government stepped in to bring it into public ownership. The carmaking division and the aero engine division were separated, with the latter given the additional funding it needed to finish the development of its jet engine. Despite the setbacks, the RB211 engine launched in 1972, only four months later than planned.

Rolls-Royce's aero division would remain under the ownership of the British government until 1987, when it was re-privatized. In the decades since, the company has forged a reputation as one of the world's leading jet engine suppliers, later acquiring other engine manufacturers such as Allison Engine Company. It has continued building both civilian and military aircraft engines and expanded into other products like marine engines and nuclear submarine propulsion systems.

Despite the shared name and badging, Rolls-Royce plc — the aero engine maker — and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars remain entirely separate from each other. After being split by the British government, the carmaking operation was sold to Vickers in 1980. A deal in 1998 saw the rights to Rolls-Royce's name and logo sold to BMW, while VW acquired the carmaker's factory and the branding rights to Rolls-Royce's former sister marque, Bentley.