Rolls-Royce celebrates 20 years at its iconic factory

Rolls-Royce is celebrating 20 years at its famous Goodwood factory. Photo: Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has achieved many milestones since it began producing luxury cars in 1904, and now it’s celebrating being at its Goodwood base for 20 years.

After producing 20 models during those two decades, the iconic British brand is now entering its all-electric era with the likes of the Rolls-Royce Spectre.

But the re-invention of the brand began in 1997 when BMW Group was presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to acquire Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

As the brand's new owner, BMW Group faced an immediate and daunting challenge: to create a new home for Rolls-Royce, befitting its status and heritage. Towns and cities all over Britain put themselves forward to be the chosen location, with the promise of investment and high-quality local jobs that would follow. It quickly became obvious that only one place would befit the marque – and the clients it was created to serve. 

Rolls-Royce has a long-standing, personal connection with Chichester and the surrounding area. The company's co-founder, Sir Henry Royce, lived and worked for the last 16 years of his long and illustrious life at his beloved home, Elmstead, in West Wittering.

That historical link focused attention on Goodwood, eight miles up the road. Motorsport fans worldwide already knew it as the home of the Goodwood Motor Circuit and the Festival of Speed. 

Rolls-Royce immediately secured an enthusiastic and influential champion for its project in the Estate's owner, the now Duke of Richmond, who identified a parcel of land that perfectly suited the company's needs. 

Rolls-Royce commissioned award-winning architects Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners to create a striking, contemporary, and highly sustainable building that blended effortlessly into the surrounding landscape.

And now 20 years later, the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood remains the only place in the world where Rolls-Royce motor cars are designed and built – still by hand. It is also the global headquarters of a business that now operates in more than 50 countries worldwide.