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).
Performance, cost, and supply of Avon tyres in comparison to India and Dunlop tyres for Bentley cars.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 158\2\ scan0008 | |
| Date | 1st April 1939 | |
| 1339 C. from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}4/R.1.4.39. TYRES. Replying to Cl/C.20.3.39., Avons have assured us that they are prepared to reproduce any replacement facilities at present afforded by India. You will appreciate that the present silent India Bentley tyre is special and not fitted to any other car to our knowledge, hence all agents probably do not carry stock. In Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}11/R.11.3.39., we did not go into details. The situation is that the Avon tyres is not only better than the India in three ways, i.e., lighter, better non-skid and more silent, it is also considerably cheaper. We attach a list of prices. Avons, by intelligent development, have made a 4-ply tyre do the work of a 6-ply cover and come through our tests with an unblemished record. Dunlops 4-ply tyre has failed on the same test. As you know, the target allotted to the car division during the past two years has been to reduce the price of our products without sacrificing quality. In the Avon tyre we have the most unusual combination of an article that is both better and less costly. We find it difficult to understand any policy that gives us the target mentioned, and simultaneously prevents us adopting an improvement which reduces the factory cost of the chassis and its running expenses in the hands of the customer. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Attached - Details of Advertising Campaign to be put out by Avons. | ||