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).
Supercharged Mercedes and Lockheed brakes from the 1931 Berlin Motor Show.
| Identifier | Morton\M9\ img090 | |
| Date | 9th March 1931 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} From Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} NOR. c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}2/RT.9.3.31. x651. x407. BERLIN MOTOR SHOW, 1931. 8 CYL. SUPERCHARGED MERCEDES. We tried the 7655 C.M. Mercedes which has a bore and stroke of 95 X 135 m.m. The car was fitted with a large 7 seater closed body. The supercharger characteristics do not seem to have altered a great deal since the car we tested here. If the pedal is depressed fully below 1500 Engine R.P.M., there is no very great result. Above this speed the supercharger does give a considerable increase in acceleration but at the expense of a great deal of noise. We should not say that this company have made much progress in silencing their supercharger, the latest Alfa Romeo's are considerably better in this respect. We have yet to try a car, however, in which the noise from the supercharger is of the same order as the rest of the noises permitted on a refined car. The braking was powerful, the steering not free from road shocks, the suspension pitched most uncomfortably. The car had a Maybach change. The impression that the car created was one of slight coarseness. Its performance above 40 M.P.H. was obviously very good with the supercharger in action, without about that of a P.II. At low speeds, owing to the defect in the supercharger previously mentioned, the pick up was very moderate. We do not think this car is in any way such a serious competitor of ours as the Bentley as it does not make a very nice closed carriage though it would probably be more desirable with an open sports body. Actually we believe this car has been built with the object of getting away from the sports market, as Mercedes are not in a very strong financial position, they have had one or two reconstructions and dividends are a rarity. Lockheed Brakes. We noticed that the N.S.U. have a double piston operating their Lockheed brakes so that if a pipe line fractures at any point the driver is always left with either front or rear brakes. We think that this removes perhaps the only serious objections to this type of brake. We have tried a great many cars with Lockheed brakes and are impressed by the consistent way they function and by the great economy in production they effect by the elimination of all equalising and countershafts | ||