[image error] The Spirit of Ecstasy, that little silver statuette that stands on top of the radiator of every Rolls-Royce, has is perhaps the most famous image in motoring, but it is also the keeper of a tragic secret.

When Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce first went into business, there was no standard mascot on the bonnets of their cars. The craze had only recently started of putting small objects there, anything from horses to bulldogs: the choice was very much up to the owner. Indeed, it was one of...