Rolls-Royce Archives
         « Prev  Box Series  Next »        

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).
Cost analysis for the Small Car Project, comparing gearbox, chassis, and engine costs with other manufacturers.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 161a\1\  scan0053
Date  17th October 1939
  
-3-

SMALL CAR PROJECT COST - Cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary}

(1) Rover Gearbox.

The Rover wages for manufacturing their gearbox with synchromesh are less than £2. The Works estimate for wages to manufacture the same box without synchromesh was £6 - RHC{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer}/Can.2/LS.11.6.38.

(2) A.E.C. Commercial Vehicle Costs.

These people produce 30-40 chassis per week. They use lead bronze bearings, stellited valves, hardened crankshafts, fully floating axles, servo operated brakes, 3½% nickel frames, aluminium crankcases, magnesium gearboxes and axle centre cases. In addition they are forced to use injection pumps which are much more expensive than magnetos. Their catalogue price for a 4-ton chassis that carries 120% of its own weight is £1,100.

The catalogue price of the R.V. using the latest available figures contained in Les.12/B.25.7.39, Minutes of the last Chassis Conference, are:-

Factory Cost.................................£625. 0.0
Add 10% profit...............................£ 62.10.0
Add Sales Exes. at 25% Factory Cost
(at present over 30%)........................£156. 0.0

Catalogue price of chassis will be.........£843.10.0

The weight of the R.V. chassis is about 26 cwts. or 2,900 lbs.

The list price per lb. of R.V. chassis is 5/1 per lb.

The list price per lb. of A.E.C. chassis is 2/5 per lb.

(3) Leyland Engine Costs.

The wages for fabricating and testing the Leyland Cub and Wraith engines respectively are:-

Leyland Cub........£13.10.0
Wraith.............£37. 0.0

Many other similar discrepancies between our own and other peoples' manufacturing costs could be quoted.
  
  


Copyright Sustain 2025, All Rights Reserved.    whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙