A salute to the Rolls-Royce flying lady on her centennial, a symbol of decorum in an often-indecorous world.

By Carmen Madrid

As February and its Holiday of Hearts slips away in our rear view mirror, I thought it a good time to prove that here at Automotive Traveler, we are about more than just rotors and road trips or hybrids and hotels. Some of us enjoy a good love story as much as the next traveling auto enthusiast.

Rolls-Royce just celebrated 100 years of the Spirit of Ecstasy, the famous flying lady mascot that has adorned the bonnets of Rolls-Royce motor cars since 6 February 1911.

To commemorate this meritorious milestone, a collection of 100 new and vintage models of the legendary automobile paraded through the streets of London. The procession included Silver Clouds, Silver Ghosts, Silver Shadows, and Silver Spurs and passed such famous landmarks as Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and Piccadilly Circus.

Also on the route for this Spirit of Ecstasy Drive was the site of the studio where Charles Robinson Sykes is believed to have created his famous design. It would have been the place where a certain model posed for and inspired Mr. Sykes. A model who was at the center of the love story. The woman's name was Eleanor Velasco Thornton.

Born of a Spanish mother and Australian father, Miss Thornton was secretary to John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott Montagu, who became the second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in 1905. She was also his mistress.

The difference in their social status made it impossible for