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).
Suggestion to sketch and test alternative car body shapes, referencing similar work done in America.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 181\M9\ img039 | |
| Date | 14th August 1931 | |
| -2- We suggest that if EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} would sketch two or three alternative shapes of windscreen and rear end of the car, the manufacture of which he would consider feasible from the point of view of appearance and sound coach-work construction, we would then get the pattern makers to produce a model body capable of being altered to these various shapes. For the wings, running boards and under-shield we could construct alternative shapes, and after wind tunnel tests proceed with road tests on their effective-ness as mud catchers. Considerable work has already been done on this subject in America being lately reported upon in the Automotive Industries Magazine for January 17th page 96, and the S.A.E. Journal for August 1931 pages 126/7/8. Whilst some of these results are rather difficult to believe, there must be some substantial gain to be had from the shape of the car, even though the 48% saving in M.P. and 40% saving in petrol may be exaggerations. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/RM.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||