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).
Critique of a report comparing a Cadillac body to Rolls Royce bodies, highlighting omissions and key differences.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 125\1\ scan0185 | |
| Date | 15th February 1935 | |
| HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} x1729 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} To C. From Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}L.Ha. re Cadillac Body. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}5/E15.2.35 Referring to C1/C1J.2.35 I read the report on the Cadillac to the conference at Derby yesterday. Generally speaking, we considered it to be a very inadequate report and I am surprised that such a report was sent, taking into consideration the number of people who have been on the job and the length of time which they have had in which to do it. I would say that one of the most important differences between RR bodies and the Cadillac was the fact that the latter use steel for their panels and wings as against RR using aluminium. No reference to this fact is even made in the report. We found that the steel panels were red with rust but this is not even mentioned nor the fact that paint was peeling off one of the door pillars for this reason. Another very interesting point I thought about the Cadillac body was the arrangement of back floorboards, i.e. the one sheet impossible of removal in the ordinary way, very heavy but specially padded in such a way as to deaden all sound. No reference is made in the report to this at all. One of the attractive features of the Cadillac body in use was that the doors shut without having to be fiercely slammed as on RR cars and opened normally and easily without having to be pushed very hard as on RR cars. No reference is made to this or the reasons for its being so. The total weights are given but no analysis of weights although from what I saw at Lillie Hall all the information had been taken out, i.e. the weights of the respective doors, floorboards, seating cushions, wings etc. etc. No information was given as to how we had allowed for things like the dashboard which is part of the body on the Cadillac and part of the chassis on the RR. Nothing is said in the report (or if so, very little) | ||