Rolls-Royce is undoubtedly the most luxurious car brand on the planet. For over a century, Rolls-Royce has been the marquee standard when it comes to the development of a luxury car, and other carmakers have copied, imitated, and stolen Rolls-Royce design concepts for decades.

Due to a recent resurgence in popularity, Rolls-Royce has once again taken the top spot as kings of the automotive world. The company was officially formed in 1906 when Charles Stewart Rolls and Fredrick Henry Royce formed a partnership. The company's six-cylinder Silver Ghost was debuted that same year. RR was unlike any other manufacturer of the era. Their attention to detail and dedication to quality was clear from the start.

During the 1920s, Rolls-Royce opened a second factory in Springfield, Massachusetts in order to keep up with the rising demand. This factory only stayed open for 10 years, but they launched the Phantom 1, which would ultimately become the defining Rolls-Royce model.

The car was powered by a pushrod-operated overhead valve engine with detachable cylinder heads. This was very cutting-edge technology for the time. And in 1931, with the acquisition of Bentley, Rolls-Royce had the market of luxury cars cornered.

Rolls-Royce opened their Crewe factory in the 1940s, and produced models like the Silver Wraith. In 1950, Rolls-Royce unveiled their Phantom IV model, which was powered by an eight-cylinder engine.

Only 18 of these cars were made, all of which were delivered to royalty and various heads of state. The 1950s was also the year RR introduced their king-sized Silver Cloud 1 and Silver Cloud II. Rolls-Royce brought along the Silver Cloud III and Phantom IV in the 1960s.

Through the previous six decades, Rolls-Royce was ahead of the game in every aspect of automobile manufacturing. The car company would survive World Wars and The Great Depression. But it was in the 1970s that Rolls-Royce started to witness a decline in sales.

Problems with an engine contract had led to troubling financial difficulties, which ultimately caused the manufacturer to file for bankruptcy. The British government eventually came to the aid of the struggling brand and nationalized them.

Rolls-Royce was purchased by Vickers PLC in 1980, and the RR Silver Spirit was launched in 1981. The new design of RR met with the higher standards of the times. Safety and carbon emission regulations were adhered to, and the new aesthetics of the car started to appeal to younger buyers.

In the 1990s, Rolls-Royce changed hands again. BMW seemed the likely choice to take over, but it was Volkswagen who outbid them. The German manufacturers arranged for VW to give up control of the RR name in 2003, but they retained the Bentley and the Crewe plant.

With BMW at the helm now, Rolls-Royce has again become the dominant force in luxury cars. And though today's competition is always fierce and RR is considered by many to be overpriced, the company is still one of the world's biggest names.