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).
Discrepancies in the weight of various car bodies and accessories.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 18\1\ Scan048 | |
| Date | 1st February 1931 | |
| Da{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} -2- Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}6/C6/2/31. weighing 11 cwt. and they now weigh 9 - 9 1/2 cwt. The Maythorne standardised bodies that are coming through are weighing about 9 1/2 cwt. Park Ward coachwork for some time has weighed less than Weymanns, and we have had many other cases. further We agree that if we can show the Coachbuilder how to save weight it would be extremely useful. The Barker Trials car No. GSR-78 that you mention is not a good example of increased body weight, because the increase in weight was due to accessories in the way of bumpers, dipping headlight devices sun visors, etc. etc. This system of including accessories in the weight of the bodywork is very misleading and is likely to get us quite confused. To deal with the weights on your schedule we are sorry we are unable to agree these. 18-EX. 7cwt. 11 lbs. 24-EX. 9cwt. 24 lbs. We cannot understand why the one body should weigh so much more than the other considering they were identical in design and manufacture. We calculated that the body on 18-EX weighed 9 cwt. 3qrs.13lbs. Did you weigh it complete or without wings etc. before fitting to chassis. A further duplicate of this particular car, (No.1-WJ) and a trials car, which was taken into use about 8 months later, weighed 9 cwt. 3 qrs.23lbs. We have not been able to weigh 18-EX as the body, of course, was sent direct to Derby, but we cannot understand why this should be so light, and we cannot accept the figure of 7 cwt.11 lbs. as correct. Re 26-EX, we made the weight of this body 11 cwt. 3 lbs. not 10 cwt.17 lbs., so that our records vary here for some reason. We also made the weight of the complete car 47 cwt. 3 qrs. - there is only a difference of 1 qr. here. We do not look upon 18-0-4 as being an exceptionally light car. All the 6-seater Enclosed Limousine type complete weigh about 35 cwt. 1 qr. Our Hooper Trials car with a similar type of body weighed when new 34cwt. 1qr. 12lbs. the body being calculated at 9 cwt. 2qrs. 10 lbs. We have another car in stock at the present time, the body of which weighs 9cwt. 2qrs.25lbs; whilst the Maythorne body that we have just recently sent to the Riviera weighs only 9cwt. 25 lbs. | ||