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).
Complaint letter to Mr. Cowen regarding the poor quality of instruments on Rolls Royce and Bentley vehicles, specifically the Phantom III.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 165\3\ img158 | |
| Date | 8th February 1937 | |
| COPY Hotel Metropole, Monte-Carlo. February 8th 1937 W.Cowen, Esq., Messrs.Rolls-Royce Ltd., 14-15 Conduit Street, W.1. Dear Mr.Cowen, Re Rolls and Bentley. Many thanks for your long explanatory letter of the 1st. Obviously you write a very good letter and in my opinion have made the best of a bad case. About a year ago after my test and my opinion of the Phantom III chassis, you wrote a similar type of letter in reply - but your Company tackled my points in a typical RR manner and produced - after a year's work - a chassis that is now 95% RR. Why beat about the bush? Of course, the volume control varies and oscillates the needle, but a damped needle prevents much oscillation and a truer reading can be got than with an undamped needle. A moving coil instrument is accepted by any electrical technician as being more accurate than a moving iron one. I know the instruments you provided on Phantom III were a cheaper type to those you previously supplied on the Phantom II; I remarked it to you and your representatives and said it was a great pity. It is a pity; the Bentley clock is cheap - so difficult to wind that it hurts one's skin - and the same as supplied on my £365 Triumph. The oil gauge needle stuck and has already once received attention by your people and the water gauge varies according to road vibration. The speedometer also is the same as on the Triumph. It has already gone wrong and the trip won't work. Never in my 25 years' experience with RR have such things occurred with your instruments. The other instruments are of the same type - cheapened I regret to say - and to my eyes - nasty, like cheap bits of jewellery on a well dressed woman. I'd willingly give you another £20 to fit the old type instruments on the Rolls. re the controls. | ||