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. | ||