Since 1904, aristocrat and sportsman Charles Rolls and mechanic and businessman Henry Royce had been working together. Company Rolls-Royce was founded in 1906. The company started producing technically and commercially successful model Silver Ghost in 1907. A new stage came, when figure The Spirit of Ecstasy established firmly on the hood of Rolls-Royce cars. This silver figurine on the hood of the most prestigious vehicle in the world contributed a bit to the gain in sales. The gain was not so large, as Silver Ghost was assembled manually, thus the company could not produce many cars. By an odd coincidence, Rolls-Royce wad declared bankrupt exactly 60 years later, on February 4, 1971. In order not to lose the national asset, the British authorities divided the company into two parts. The government took the part dealing with auto-making under wing, invested $250 million and would not give the company into private hands until it gained firm foothold. The government was right – one should spare the national heritage.