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 discussing a proposal to modify a chassis for experimentation based on a model by 'Ardeau'.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 89\3\ scan0113 | |
| Date | 29th November 1937 | |
| 261 Telephone: Barlaston 51. The Manor House, Tittensor, Stoke-on-Trent. Monday, 29th Nov.,1937. NHR/W. Dear Bill, Since I last saw you, I have been thinking of that model which Ardeau made for you. Whilst I do not necessarily agree that in the future we do not require more power, I do think it is only logical that we should attempt to use what power we have got to better advantage than by displacing air unnecessarily. It may be that we can not adopt his principle to the full extent, but some compromise may prove to be a very satisfactory saving in power. You told me that if I would buy one of these motors you would attend to the chassis yourself. As you know, I do not consider that the chassis in its present form is entirely satisfactory for the speeds of which the motor is already capable, but if you were to increase that by some 20% I feel sure we should experience other difficulties. For that reason, I do not think that Ardeau's body mounted on the existing chassis would be very satisfactory. However, I feel that the information we could get would be extremely interesting, and I am prepared to help you if you are prepared to help me. By this I mean that I would buy one of these cars and would let you have it in for reasonable periods for experimenting provided you modified the chassis to start with and would be prepared to bring it up to your standard design nine months after the car has been delivered. W.Rowbotham, Esq., Rolls-Royce, Ltd., Derby. Cont. | ||