From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Early development decisions and market positioning for the 3½-Litre Bentley.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 3\4\ 04-page364 | |
| Date | 27th June 1933 | |
| To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} [Crossed out: Copy to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp}] re 3½-Litre Bentley. [Handwritten: hums?] Many thanks for Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}4/WJ.22.6.33 wherein you refer to the reports of the officials who have tried the green Bentley No.2. Your views certainly are of great interest and I think it is correct that Sales have never actually produced a car giving an actual indication of the sort of thing they were expecting, but a perusal of the early correspondence does make it clear that we all started off with the idea of having something small and cheap and something which would not compete with RR. For instance Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} 4.12.31, says: "It should be a good cheap car, not one to compete with the Rolls-Royce. It should be fast, and no special attention made for quietness, so that it would not at all interfere with or Rolls-Royce business." R's idea at that date was, as you know, that we should use what was known as the G.I.engine but after a certain amount of time had elapsed this was turned down and it was decided to use the Peregrine engine and supercharge it, and after further time and money had been expended and it appeared impossible to obtain the desired results, this idea was given up. It is clear from the correspondence that, as far back as December 1931 you personally were keen on the J.I type of engine and that I was not keen because it would not be sufficiently different from RR. This is borne out by my memo. to R.{Sir Henry Royce} of the 6.12.31 wherein I said: "I am, as you know, very keen that the car should be different in as many ways as possible from a Rolls-Royce, and feel very definitely that, apart from questions of less expensive material etc. we should study every avenue of reducing cost of production and use less elaborate and less costly components as Bentleys have always done." However, so much time elapsed that we eventually accepted the suggestion of the J.I engine unit and it is interesting to note that at the conference where this decision was taken it was mentioned that by the date the Bentley was in | ||