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).
Test drive report on a 20 HP Lanchester Open Touring car, comparing its performance to a Rolls-Royce 20 HP model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 22\3\ Scan074 | |
| Date | 21th September 1925 | |
| Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} To BJ from PN.{Mr Northey} Copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} 7740 PN{Mr Northey}3/EH 21.9.25. When I was testing Mr. Sydney's (of Hampstead) "New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I" last week, which I subsequently sent to Works to prevent it over-oiling, I drove for a short distance also the 20 h.p. Lanchester Open Touring car which they also possess, and which they appear to find is capable of putting up a better performance than is our 20 h.p. model, but better only in point of view of speed. My impression after driving this car, was that I would rather not own one myself at a gift, although it appeared to be not quite so rough and third-class as their larger model which I recently tried, belonging to Sir John Ramsden. This 20 h.p. model has four wheel brakes, operated by direct pressure, i.e. no servo. These appeared to be fairly good, but of course required considerable effort on the part of the driver. The engine at 30 miles an hour in top gear started an unpleasant American roar, which at 40 m.p.h. became intolerable. The steering is quite light, but has a distinct disadvantage in that it has no tendency to return to straight when coming out of a curve. The 4-speed gear box in degree of merit, from a point of view of silence, would not be higher than 30%, putting the Standard Rolls-Royce 20 h.p. at 100%. The magneto ignition (one ignition only) was peculiarly sensitive to change of engine speed, so that in order to prevent "chirping" or a tendency to detonation, the driver had to be adjusting the ignition lever all the time for varying engine speeds. PN.{Mr Northey} | ||