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).
Comparing the performance of a Ford V-8 car with a Bentley and a Cadillac.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 126\3\ scan0035 | |
| Date | 7th January 1936 | |
| To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} & Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} X 1104 Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}3/KW.7.1.36. The Ford V-8. The Ford motor Company very kindly lent us a car for a few days. The attached figures indicate its performance. They are particularly interesting because the Ford axle ratio being exactly the same as that of the Bentley, it is possible to estimate by taking into consideration the relative weights of the cars and engine dimensions, how the output of the Ford engine per cu.in. compares with that of the Bentley. It is apparent that the Bentley engine gives 15% to 20% more power per cu.in. than the Ford. In spite of this, in our opinion the Ford is definitely rougher than the Bentley. The Cadillac with the experimental flywheel may be the exception, but so far we have never tried a V-8 engine with a high specific output which was not obtrusive. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||