Beginning with the auspicious meeting in 1904 of aristocratic C.S. Rolls and working-class Henry Royce, Peter Pugh chronicles the first four decades of the iconic car manufacturer, a story of genius, skill and dedication that gave the world cars and aeroengines unrivalled in their excellence. With access to the company's archives, Pugh looks back on such milestones as the elegant 1906 Silver Ghost; the Eagle aero engine, which proved itself in battle in the Great War; and the Merlin, installed in the Spitfire and built in a race against time to help win the Battle of Britain. These inventors did not act alone, and the huge cast includes investor Claude Johnson, who became known as "the hyphen in Rolls-Royce."