Perhaps Like Us, You've Never Fully Appreciated What Makes A Rolls Royce Unique. But After A Tour Of The New Plant And World Headquarters, E've Seen The Light.
The past three decades have been a rocky road for the British car industry. Suffering from under-investment, poor management and terrible industrial relations, British car makers were on their knees. Most have passed into overseas ownership, as companies rushed to buy some of the finest nameplates in the world.
Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar went to Ford, but Aston has since been sold back to a consortium and the remaining two are up for sale. Mini went to BMW and Rover ended up in Chinese hands. Lotus has been handed around like a dirty tissue and TVR is/was in Russian hands.
Perhaps the biggest name in the British car industry was Rolls Royce, with its Bentley offspring. Back in 1998, VW was confident of buying the prestige brand, but some skilful maneuvering by BMW saw them steal it from under their moustachioed noses.
At just $65 million, BMW paid only 10% of VW's final bill. And as the dust cleared, VW walked away with the Bentley brand, its manufacturing site and skilled workforce. BMW had "the Rolls Royce name, grille and the Spirit of Ecstacy [grille mascot]," according to Jon Stanley, Rolls' product PR manager.
In the past four years, BMW built a new assembly plant, hired and trained a workforce and developed the Phantom. "Rolls Royce may have 100 years of history, but this new company is essentially four years old," Jon continued
Wood cladding, natural light, grassed roofs and water capture system part of buildings' design brief
German ownership has its own pressures - an expectation to succeed from management, and perhaps to fail from a patriotic British public. But it was incumbent upon the new company to retain traditional values.
New Plant and HQBeing a brand with such a rich heritage, the location of the company's new plant and world headquarters was crucial. The decision was made to build at Goodwood in southern England. "Our landlord is Lord March," explained PR Manager Anna Reynolds.
"The site made sense because it's close to Goodwood circuit for testing, has good access to major transport routes, yet is set in the exquisite rolling countryside of the South Downs, close to [Lord March's] Goodwood House and [horse] race course."
It's a production line of sorts, but cars can spend three months here
Building in such an environment brought its own challenges and architect Nicholas Grimshaw was enlisted to meet these. Sensitivity to the landscape and its environmental impact were seen as paramount. Consequently, the roofs of the buildings are sloped at the rear and were seeded with grass to blend into the surroundings when viewed from the hills above. The sloping banks were formed with the earth dug from the site during construction. Furthermore, the exterior glass is clad with cedar wood, which changes hue with the seasons to allow the buildings to blend with their surroundings.
The expansive glass curtain walls allow the buildings to exploit natural light, including the assembly area, which reduces fatigue and power requirements. The wooden louvers on the glass are computer controlled to maintain light levels and the interior temperature. What's more, rainwater collected by the large roof windows is channeled into the plant's own lake and cools the air circulated through the buildings.