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).
The performance and design issues of a newly completed streamlined car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90\1\ Scan039 | |
| Date | 1st December 1933 | |
| W/Paris: 8261 To Sr: from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}: Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}20/KT.1.12.33: Dear Sr, Thank you for your Sr7/MLG.30.11.33. Yes, we have completed our streamlined car, and it does exactly what we anticipated. With exactly the same engine H.P. as the standard trials car which you have at present, the streamlined car covered the half mile at 100 m.p.h. on Brooklands, and reached a true speed of 104 m.p.h. on the road. Actually it is approx. 8 m.p.h. faster than any of our other cars. So much for its performance. With regard to its seating capacity this is definitely limited, for all practical purposes the car is a two seater. With the passengers seats slightly behind the driving seat it is quite comfortable to drive. The head room is definitely alright for anybody of average height, but is insufficient for a tall man. The worst feature is that, though it is a two seater car, it is not possible to carry a reasonable amount of luggage in an accessible position. This definitely wants rectifying. You can actually get four people in the car, but it would be more practical, from my point of view, if the idea of people sitting in the back of the car was abandoned, and instead provision made for reasonable luggage accomodation. You will notice from the enclosed photograph that the car is fitted with cycle type wings. These are essential if appreciable advantage is to got out of the streamlined shape of body. We should say that if standard wings were fitted to this car it would reduce its speed by about 5 m.p.h. As you know, cycle type wings are notoriously unreliable. We are therefore making some serious tests to ensure that we can offer cycle type wings that will not fall off. Another thing we find is that with cycle type wings the back of the car gets smothered in mud. None gets on to the windscreen or on to the side windows, but it makes the car look unsightly. Of course you know what English conditions are for mud! We think that to get over this trouble we shall have to fit stiff rubber extensions to the bottom of the backs of the cycle type wings, and also probably a little streamlined | ||