REVEALED: The £Billions Rolls-Royce Motor Cars contribute to the Sussex and UK economy thanks to these 20 stunning cars

Editor In Chief

Published 8th Apr 2023, 09:06 GMT

Updated 27th Apr 2023, 09:46 GMT

When Rolls-Royce Motor Cars began full-scale manufacturing at Goodwood, West Sussex, 20 years ago, it produced just a single model: the original, seventh-generation Phantom. The first completed motor car was handed over to its new owner in a special ceremony at one minute past midnight on 1 January 2003. Since that historic moment, no fewer than 20 different models and variants have been created and handmade at Goodwood – equivalent to one for every year. As a study published on April 27, 2023, reveals the billions of pounds Rolls-Royce contributes to the UK and Sussex economy we look at the 20 cars that have made this possible. https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/environment/rolls-royce-motor-cars-exclusive-this-is-how-much-money-the-luxury-car-maker-has-generated-in-its-20-years-at-its-home-in-chichester-4121077

Phantom, and its siblings Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé, were followed by the more approachable Ghost, which went on to become the best-selling model the marque has ever produced since its foundation in 1904. The product family grew further with Wraith (2013) and Dawn (2016), respectively the most powerful and seductive models in the marque’s portfolio; they were joined in 2018 by Cullinan, the 'Rolls-Royce of SUVs', which is now ranked among the world's most desirable and in-demand luxury products.

With the exception of Phantom, all models in the current product family are available as Black Badge variants. Created for a new breed of client who desired a more subversive, rebellious expression of the Rolls-Royce brand, this permanent Bespoke series now accounts for more than a third of the marque’s total output.

Since 2003, the Home of Rolls-Royce’s design and engineering teams have produced a number of experimental motor cars. In keeping with tradition, these were given the ‘EX’ designation, used until the 1950s by Rolls-Royce engineers to maintain secrecy during testing and development, and the distinctive red-on-silver 'RR' badge. Never intended for series production, they were fundamental to the process of creating some of the most technically significant and commercially successful products in the marque's history.

The first 20 years at Goodwood have culminated in the launch of Spectre. The first all-electric Rolls-Royce in history, this landmark motor car also marks the beginning of a new technological era, in which every new Rolls-Royce model will be fully electric from 2030 onward. With series production yet to begin, Spectre is not strictly among the 20 cars produced between 2003 and 2023, so does not appear in the list that follows.

All photos reproduced by courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.