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).
Design, market position, and pricing for a new sports car model in response to competitors.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 3\4\ 04-page026 | |
| Date | 27th April 1932 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} A good deal of Bomsport work has been done, all of which would be thrown overboard if we made the alteration suggested and we should really be back where we were about four months ago. This would be very lamentable - even more so than otherwise because of Napier's xx decision to come back into the motor-car business. It is practically certain that W.O. Bentley is going to Napier's and it is most important that we should make every effort to have our car out ahead of theirs. You will remember that, when we first bought the Alfa Romeo, I said quite definitely that we did not want a car of that type but we wanted something to compete more with the Lagonda, Talbot and Alvis type of sports car. I agree that the engine will be on the small side but we are all quite sure that, by keeping it to this size and class and price of car we shall get into a very much bigger market whereas, if we were to allow it to become an 8-cylinder, we should automatically go into a very much smaller market, and I am afraid really that the whole scheme would be a failure unless the design is such as to enable the factory to produce a car, the chassis of which can be sold retail at round about £600 to £700. We know can buy bodies in quantities of quite a good type for a car of this description for about £100 each, and the price I have always had in mind for the complete car is round about £750 without the supercharger. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Enc. Copy of CS/C1.1.32 | ||