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).
Response letter to a customer regarding performance issues with a 4 1/4 litre Bentley, specifically concerning suspension, brakes, and tyres.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 89\1\ scan0195 | |
| Date | 28th July 1936 | |
| Copy of letter received from Messrs. Bentley Motors (1931) Limited, to Mr. R.{Sir Henry Royce} F.{Mr Friese} Summers. ---------------------- 28th July, 1936. Dear Sir, Re Chassis No. B. 58.GA. With reference to your letter of the 25th inst. we are pleased to note that you have very little criticism to make regarding the performance of your 4 1/4 litre Bentley car. With regard to the suspension, the rumours to which you refer in connection with our experimenting with independent front wheel springing for the Bentley car are incorrect. We have no such experiments in hand. In any case, we think you will appreciate that whatever we might do in this respect or any other, we should not be in a position to divulge particulars to any of our owners until we were in a position to announce it as our future standard. We are sorry to note you think the brakes are inadequate for the increased performance and your view upon this will be placed before our Technical Department. As regards the tyres, we certainly agree that 2,500 to 3,000 is a very small mileage. We succeed in getting considerably more than this on our own car. On our demonstration cars, for instance, taking an average of three, the mileage works out at 5,400 on the back and 10,500 on the front, and these cars you can imagine are not spared in regard to speed and performance. With regard to the springing, you state in the second paragraph of your letter that you are extremely dissatisfied with the suspension and that this, in your opinion, is considerably behind present-day standards. In the last paragraph of your letter you say that the springing compares very badly with other cars of which you have had experience. We think you will agree that the springing is bound up with other points of importance in the design of a chassis, so that really one has to consider the following items:- (1) The springing as such. (2) The effect of the springing upon the steering. (3) The general controllability of the car and its road holding properties. (4) The effects on braking. | ||