Rolls-Royce remodels Spirit of Ecstasy for EV age
Rolls-Royce has announced its famous Spirit of Ecstasy mascot is receiving a major redesign for its first electric model
The Spirit of Ecstasy that adorns the top of the pantheon grille on a Rolls-Royce is not only one of the most famous symbols in the automotive industry, it is one of the most famous symbols in the world. Now for only the second time in its history, it is about to undergo a significant change
The original Spirit of Ecstasy was based on The Whisper, a sculpture created by Charles Sykes for his employer, John Montagu who founded the motoring magazine The Car Illustrated in 1902. Montagu and his office manager, Eleanor Velasco Thornton had a 13-year affair and while there are variations to the story surrounding the origins of the mascot, it’s generally accepted that the Spirit of Ecstasy is based on Eleanor and came about thanks to a friendship between Montagu and Claude Johnson, the then managing director of Rolls-Royce. It could all be the stuff of a Hollywood movie, but the mascot was registered in 1911 before first appearing on the Silver Ghost.
Throughout the 111 years since it was first registered, it has mainly only changed in size, from its original height of 175mm to the point where she is currently 95mm in height. Her stance has almost always remained the same, bending at the waist with her feet together and her robes flowing in the wind behind her. Only once, for the Silver Dawn between 1932-1950 did the stance change, with Eleanor adopting a kneeling pose.
Today, the advent of electrification and the need to greater aerodynamics means Eleanor is undergoing one of the most significant changes in her life and she will adopt a new form for the first pure electric Rolls-Royce, Spectre, which is undergoing final development. She has been extensively remodelled, not using pencil and paper as she was back in the day when Sykes initially created her, but utilising the technology of computer modelling to digitally sculpt her form. More than 830 hours were spent on design, modelling and wind tunnel testing says the luxury automaker.
Based on ‘The Expression’, a modern interpretation of the Spirit of Ecstasy shown in 2020, Eleanor is now shrinking slightly to 82.73mm tall and the design team says she now appears braced for the wind, with one leg now forward and her body lower. The detail in her face reveals eyes that appear to be more precisely focused, presumably on the road ahead.
“She has come to represent a spiritual direction for our brand,” says Anders Warming, director of design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Her form perfectly captures the marque - she leans forward, expressing our relentless pursuit of progress and her dress gracefully flows in the wind, echoing the serenity of our products in motion. For Spectre and beyond, she becomes lower and more focused, braced for unprecedented speed and the exciting future her presence will define.”
Stylists at Goodwood, the home of Rolls-Royce, were consulted on elements such as the mascot’s hair, clothes, posture and expression, all with the aim of updating Eleanor with a contemporary look that will have to last for many years and that is based on The Expression, a redesign shown in 2020.
Each one will continue to be made using an old casting technique known as ‘lost wax casting’ or ‘cire-perdue’ and will be finished by hand, meaning it’s unlikely that any two are ever exactly identical.
While the new Spirit of Ecstasy will make its first appearance on the electric Spectre, it will also be used on all future models adding a new chapter to the fascinating story of Eleanor.