The Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at The Hurlingham Club is the start of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London Summer Season. This is an indication not only of our re-commitment to a beloved tradition but also of our unshakeable commitment to offering our clients elegant social opportunities. A short stop from our Mayfair showroom, The Hurlingham Club is characterized by its vibrancy of past and present and its values of discretion, excellence, and heritage in which we share. Our clients can enjoy the form and function of tennis as it was meant to be played on a country estate along the picturesque 42-acre site set against the lush bank of the River Thames. That’s what this week’s tournament is offering.
A Legacy of Sporting Excellence
A little piece of history: Founded in 1869, The Hurlingham Club is synonymous with the upper echelons of both sporting and social life, playing host to exclusive summer attractions. The official rules of polo were first established here in 1873, and the ground also played host to the sport during the 1908 Summer Olympics. Polo may no longer be a regular feature at Hurlingham—the spiritual home of the sport once beloved of Margaret Coates, who also founded the British Croquet Association at the club—but dozens of internationals still take on the best of the best on its beautiful greens.
The Fabulous Link to Charles Stewart Rolls
The ambiance of The Hurlingham Club provides the perfect fit for the character of Charles Stewart Rolls—aristocrat, competitor, and adventurer. He had become the devotee of racing through cycles as a Cambridge man, taken to motor cars, and finally swept off his feet by that exciting sport of ballooning that was soon to be the rage of the English social world. In 1908, Rolls competed in a balloon race through challenges set by the Aero Club of Britain. As the ‘hare’, he started from The Hurlingham Club and was attempting to go down to drop in a certain place to decide on a target for the other hounds. The race included such whimsically named balloons as Mammoth and attracted participants from high society, an indication of the social linkages that helped establish Rolls-Royce.
It was generally accepted that the risks associated with ballooning—whether the flammable gas used to inflate the balloon or the unreliable winds—were just part of the fun, and Rolls threw himself into the challenge with typical gusto. His wandering state and near-misses became a testament to his character, embodying the sense of bold experimentation and courage that would come to represent the face of Rolls-Royce.
From Hurlingham To Mayfair: The Tradition Lives On
Now, with yet another summer on the horizon, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London continues to be not only part of, but at the very heart of, the Season—whether this be with us at The Hurlingham Club or with us at our showroom on Berkeley Street in Mayfair. The area is special in that it was not only where Charles Stewart Rolls was born in 1877 but where he established the foundations of his automotive business, C. S. Rolls & Co. Today, Rolls-Royce is synonymous with luxury and elegance the world over and has a legacy that both precedes and follows its vision. This summer’s upcoming events will continue to enhance our relationship with clients whilst infusing the ‘best in class’ ethos shared by both Rolls-Royce and The Hurlingham Club.
