What was Rolls-Royce’s first production automobile?

The Rolls-Royce 10 hp was the company’s first production automobile.

Built in 1904, the 10 hp was based on an earlier Royce design and was produced at Royce’s works in Manchester. Henry Royce developed the car before the formal Rolls-Royce company was incorporated. Charles Rolls agreed to sell Royce cars under the Rolls-Royce name after their important 1904 meeting.

The 10 hp used a two-cylinder engine and was offered in small numbers. Its modest output reflected the early state of motoring, when reliability and careful engineering mattered as much as outright performance. It established the naming pattern in which engine horsepower appeared in the model designation.

The 10 hp should not be confused with the later 15 hp, 20 hp, or 30 hp cars. Nor was it the model that created Rolls-Royce’s enduring luxury reputation: that role is generally associated with the six-cylinder 40/50 hp introduced soon afterward.