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).
Preliminary specification for a 'Revised Bentley' to retail at £900, with notes on weight and coachwork.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 111\2\ scan0214 | |
| Date | 27th April 1937 | |
| SECRET. No. c.c. Mr. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 1044? E.2/HP.27.4.37. REVISED BENTLEY. 800. In reply to your request for a proposed specification, to which to build a complete Bentley for £900 retail price, I attach herewith a preliminary suggestion. The features of this modified specification are as far as possible based on well tried schemes which have shewn themselves to be reliable in service, and under special test conditions, but they necessarily require careful consideration. With regard to the question of the chassis frame, the American type of open frame is about 60 lbs heavier than the design we have produced for Wraith, and before committing ourselves to the possibility of such a weight increase we should want to make a careful investigation. At the same time there is this noise question to be cleared up. With regard to the question of weight, the figures shewn are in the nature of intelligent guesses rather than estimates, and would require further investigation to make more certain of these figures. The biggest accession of weight on the Bentley from when we built the first one has been in the coachwork and equipment, but if these bodies were built under our control to a rigid specification we should expect to limit the weight to the figure quoted. For the purpose of taking full advantage of this scheme it would appear to be necessary to mount the coachwork in Derby. ATT: PEREGRINE 4 1/8 MAY BORE 2.900 E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} | ||