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).
Aerodynamic testing and future design directions for a Bentley car, including the concept of a rear-engined model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 160\2\ scan0131 | |
| Date | 27th June 1933 | |
| -4- Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}14/KT. 27.6.33. (2) The car would go 15 miles per hour faster backwards (104.5 M.P.H.) thus indicating that a long bonnet and a rear cab is wrong, and directing our thoughts to a rear engined car. (3) The whole frontal aspect of the Bentley needs to be re-designed as soon as possible, so that we can obtain some advantage out of sloping screens and longer tails. By this we have gained. (4) With the present car there is no real loss in putting the spare wheel outside the rear panel. Further Tests. We are going on with further tests to - (1) Discover the value of a narrower body and longer tail with the new facial aspect. (2) To see if we can get anything out of cycle type wings with the present radiator, not because we think these wings are a real solution, but because the tests have shewn that with any of the other wings we can do no thing with the present radiator. We would like to mention the valuable assistance given to us by Messrs Vickers (Aviation) Ltd., out of their store of wind tunnel testing knowledge and aircraft and racing cars. We are very hopeful of further progress and feel that we are only at the beginning. EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} | ||