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).
Comparative road tests in France between a 20/25 R-R and a Cadillac.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 125\1\ scan0129 | |
| Date | 14th January 1935 | |
| Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} c. to C. C. " Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} ->C. " Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Dodd Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}1/KW14.1.35. Road Tests in France. On my visit to France last week I had the opportunity to (a) 1. Drive 20/25 R-R 21-G-4 a considerable distance over good, bad and very bad roads, 2. Ride in the back of the car under similar conditions. (b) 1. Drive the Cadillac over good, bad and very bad roads for a considerable distance, 2. Ride in the back of the car under similar conditions. It is fortunate that both these cars were available at the same tim, for, to drive one without the other would have robbed the tests of much of their importance and interest. I can definitely state that had I only driven the Cadillac and ridden in the back of that car, I should have returned to London with the impression that the so-called bad roads in France had been grossly exaggerated, because in respect of both riding qualities and steering the Cadillac at no time gave one any impression that the roads were bad. It is a most remarkable car in both these respects. But 21-G-4, I regret to say, revealed only too plainly the bad state of the roads over which we, at times were travelling. The comparison was perhaps an unfair one, for with the Cadillac we had a very long wheelbase, a very heavy car, independent front suspension, very large tyres and the bodies are of different types, but if the results are anything to judge by, then we have a long way to go to bring our car up to that state of excellence as regards springing and steering for which one must admire the Cadillac. I feel that the performance of 21-G-4 was made to appear much worse than it really was by the general noise and rattle going on inside the body, which noise was entirely absent in the American body, and if we could only have a body on the R-R chassis as silent as that on the Cadillac a very much better impression would immediately be created. The contrast here was most marked, and I believe it to be of the greatest importance that expert representatives of the Coachbuilders on whom we rely for our coachwork should have the opportunity of making similar comparative tests before these cars return to England within the next 10 days. I feel that English Coachbuilders may have been (contd) | ||