What seems more ironic, and most likely extremely hard to swallow by the English, is the fact that these prestigious brands are no longer owned by Her Majesty's servants. That said no British came to bid when then parent company Vickers put them up for sale. VW bought the lot from Vickers without realizing it hadn't acquired the right to use Rolls-Royce branding from the separately owned aerospace company of the same name - after Rolls-Royce suffered major losses following the commercial failure of its RB211 jet engine, a British government bailout split aircraft and automotive divisions leaving the Rolls-Royce trademark with Rolls-Royce PLC, the aircraft engine maker. Along came BMW, who just happens to share a partnership in aero-engine manufacturing with Rolls-Royce PLC, and scooped the rights to the auto manufacturer's name for the paltry sum of around $93,000 CAN.
The first day of the coming New Year marks the divorce, but due to Volkswagen's generosity at a time when it could have become overly litigious, joint property has already begun to be divided amicably. Of particular note, VW held rights to the Rolls-Royce trademark radiator design, as well as the 'Flying Lady' hood ornament. Whether or not shaking hands and allowing bygones to be bygones was due to Volkswagen's inherent good nature or possibly because onlookers would have smeared its good name if it were found responsible for interfering with the progress of one of the world's most revered automotive icons, is beside the point. The fact is that VW moved over and allowed BMW use of the grille and hood ornament without enmity.
Looking forward to the future, and appreciating that both marques will be up against new competition from rival Mercedes-Benz's awe-inspiring Maybach, Rolls-Royce and Bentley are preparing new models. Bentley has already shown its 550-hp, W12 powered all-wheel drive 2004 Continental GT coupé while BMW is expected to unveil its completely redesigned Rolls in the New Year.