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).
Report comparing the body noises and performance of a Cadillac versus a Rolls-Royce car during a test drive in France.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 125\1\ scan0147 | |
| Date | 28th January 1935 | |
| - 2 - Except for tyre noise it was almost impossible to tell when the Cadillac was on pave whereas in the RR. body noises were very bad. All the doors and windows rattled, the sun roof well cover knocked, ironmongery rattled, the offside bonnet hinge thumped the chassis dashboard and the offside bonnet panel knocked the scuttle. In addition the bonnet side panels fouled the stays of the side wheel carriers and the bonnet rest plates. I do not think the Coachbuilders' representatives realised the extent of the trouble with the bonnet, dash and scuttle. We reached Paris Wednesday evening and were taken over a very bad stretch of road between Paris and Sevres - changing cars for the return run so as to be able to appreciate the marked difference in the body noises between the two cars. We left Paris Thursday morning and arrived back at Boulogne in time to meet Mr.Ward of Park Ward & Co. on the 12.20 boat from Folkestone. Mr.Munday (of Barkers) and Mr. Carpenter (of Hoopers) returned to England by the early afternoon boat, Mr.Sparkes (of Park Ward) trained to Paris to visit French coachbuilders' works and Mr.Ward, JLE.{J. Lee Evans - Chassis Test Manager} and I went for further runs in the two cars finally catching the evening boat to Folkestone. Mr.Dodd with the RR. car travelled on the same boat. The Cadillac remained in Boulogne it being Mr. Roberts intention to bring it over to Folkestone Friday morning. Mr.Ward was as impressed as the rest of us with the extraordinary difference in the behaviour of the bodies of the two cars. We had explained to the Coachbuilders' representatives that the object of asking them to try the cars was to enable them to appreciate the appalling condition of some of the roads over which their customers run their RR. and Bentley cars when on the Continent, and to demonstrate the superiority of the Cadillac body. I believe each one of them was surprised at the poor state of the roads and at the racketing to which their bodies are subjected. Mr.Munday in particular remarked that he had not realised how bad the roads are on the Continent. None of them took the view that the cure is the adoption by us of a springing system to equal that of the Cadillac although naturally each of them considered the Cadillac body owed much to its chassis. | ||