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).
Responding to criticisms regarding car 18-EX, covering issues with coachwork, speedometer, and steering.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 19\5\ Scan013 | |
| Date | 29th July 1929 | |
| x7950. PN.{Mr Northey}1/WT29.7.29. S/W. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}...from PN.{Mr Northey} Copy to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} 18-EX. Referring to your Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}1/MJ.26.7.29. your method of dealing with the three criticisms made in my report on this car to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} whilst having the merit of simplicity does not either help the job forward or indicate a degree of sympathy with my efforts to obtain an example of the S.S. which would, in all important respects, be likely to give the best impression in connection with a most important publicity demonstration. 1. Coachwork. Some days before the car was to be delivered to me I urged that a coachwork expert be instructed to deal with any body rattles etc, in the Works, and you agreed. I am informed that this was not done, and the fact that you state that you were satisfied with the car indicates that a wide difference of opinion exists as to what you and I consider a satisfactory car for the purpose, inasmuch as two doors and windows tended to rattle and squeak to a most irritating extent. 2. Speedometer. Whilst you state that your aim at having accurate speedometers, it is obvious that your aim is occasionally very much off the mark, as I can remember on various experimental car runs, notably with 17-G4, which Hancock explained to me had a ten percent fast error. In the case of 18-EX Wyman gave me a message to the effect that all efforts by your speedometer expert had failed to make the instrument read higher than 3% slow. Had you given me reasonable notice of your difficulty in this respect in time I could have arranged for some special expert attention or special instrument to be available in London; but the car did not arrive until about 2.40 on Saturday afternoon. 3. Steering. Directly 18-EX arrived I drove it about 40 miles and felt so much dissatisfied with the want of "selectivity" that almost decided to send the car back to Derby and cancel the immediate appointment rather than risk Captain Aston having a bad impression. But on examination having found that the lost movement was taking place practically all in the side-steering tube, I decided that Wyman should try and obtain suitable washers to increase the loading of the fore and aft springs. This was done, with the result that the excessive amount of movement was taken out of the steering-wheel and a degree of selectivity obtained without shock which I considered excellent. I mentioned to Wyman that I was prepared to pass as satisfactory any S.S. having its steering similar. | ||