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).
Letter to Jack Barclay addressing complaints about car springing, pinking, and performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 123\2\ scan0052 | |
| Date | 30th November 1940 | |
| 1041 Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}1/SW. 30th November, 1940. Jack Barclay, Ltd., Hanover Square, LONDON. W.1. Dear Barclay, Thank you for your letter of the 26th November, I note that apart from bonnet rattles which can be dealt with more satisfactorily other than up here, your main complaint is with regard to the springing of your car. I am not quite clear whether your complaint is that the springing is too free, or that you hit the buffers too easily. We have a definite standard of freedom on these independently sprung cars, and we know that no advantage is gained on ride or road holding by increasing the shock absorber loading any further, we have therefore made these shock absorbers so that it is not possible to spoil the suspension by making it over-hard. If your car is crashing on the buffers, we can send some bits to Hythe Road to put the matter right. Pinking. If you want to avoid "pinking" with pool petrol, you will have to have your car decarbonised every 5,000 miles. Never the less our experience is that detonation is not offensive even after 5,000 miles running, without decarbonising, if the ignition is set. These new Bentleys are as fast as any Bentley we have previously made, but not faster. We have never produced a standard motor car which has a true mean speed in still air of more than 90 m.p.h. Under favourable conditions such as on the Autobahn with a following wind, I have timed both models to do about 98 m.p.h. | ||