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).
Typed letter discussing engine design concepts, including superchargers, flat engines, and cylinder configurations.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 147\3\ scan0194 | |
| Date | 20th December 1938 | |
| 1247 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/R.{Sir Henry Royce} 20th December, 1938. G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} Summers, Esq., Cornist Hall, FLINT, N. Wales. Dear Geoffrey, Many thanks for your letter of December 1st. I am sorry that I have not replied to this before. I am afraid that Peter Rowland will not make his fortune out of his suggestion, though it is in no way impracticable. The suggestion is that when you put a reduction in a supercharger on a flat engine it actually takes up more room than a Vee engine of the same displacement. For a naturally-aspirated engine, however, without reduction gear, it is a very useful type, and is being used fairly extensively in bus work where they want to keep the engine under the floor. The future trend of power plants is that so much horse-power is required that anything up to 24 cylinders may be necessary to get the desired results. A 24 cylinder engine in two banks is impossibly long. I am afraid that you and Dick think we have given up making motor-cars, but I can assure you that this is not the case. I am sorry that he does not like the overdrive, nevertheless, if he were motoring in Germany he would enjoy it on Autobahns. Yours sincerely, | ||