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).
Confidential memo discussing the re-styling of a car model, codenamed Burma/Tibet.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 26\1\ Scan110 | |
| Date | 25th February 1960 | |
| CONFIDENTIAL To: Gry{Shadwell Grylls} from JPB c: VS{J. Vickers} FRH VS{J. Vickers}/HBJ HcF TIn Kgt LS (for information) BURMA/TIBET Ever since the completion in February last year of the full scale mock-up, it has been obvious that certain features of the car, appearance-wise, were unsatisfactory, but because of the technical difficulties of instituting piecemeal alterations and because of the absolute necessity of getting prototype cars built, no styling changes beyond the Front Ends were initiated. Two months ago, however, with our own work on the front ends - Tibet, Borneo and Burma No.3 - finished, we turned to the task of re-examining the rest of the body to see, before finally going to press, what could or should be done to improve the awkward spots and also meet some of the criticisms that have emerged during the twelve months that the mock-up has been in being. Without at any time departing too radically from the already established rectangular styling theme, and limiting alterations strictly to those parts of the body which are unaffected by problems of functional design, we have covered a lot of territory in pursuit of and rejection of many ideas that have seemed to show promise, and finally have come to the lines which we are at present drawing but which, for the moment, can be seen only in quarter-scale clay model form. The alterations now embodied in this re-styling are, in my opinion, the minimum that are necessary to improve looks and also to meet the accumulation of criticism that says that the present rear end lacks distinction and is the common pattern today of almost every saloon car of the 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 litre category. The changes have not been made entirely without loss to previously held notions on overall length and interior needs, but the ... | ||