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).
Gearbox and column control design, cost comparison, and development timelines.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 144\4\ scan0044 | |
| Date | 19th March 1940 | |
| - 3 - Cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}4/ML.19.3.40. Pg. said that it would not be possible to use this on the left hand car without also standardising it on the right hand car. Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} said that the column control was a genuine Rolls Royce design and would therefore be expensive to produce. No figures were available for cost at the meeting but subsequently some provisional figures have been obtained from JRD/AML, comparing the cost of the column control with the side change. These are attached. In considering the figure of £8. 10s. it should be remembered that the Minx gearbox complete with change speed mechanism, has a factory cost of less than £8. The Rover box, complete with change speed mechanism, costs about £12. Our rationalised frame costs less than £9. Therefore, this column change has got to be simplified before it can be fitted to the rationalised range, and something that can be produced at a small fraction of the price must be designed for the Myth. It is estimated that there might be 12 months development work on the column control change before it is satisfactory. The first left hand car would therefore be made with a left hand change. The finalised senior rationalised gear box was such that it would take either left hand, right hand or column control gear change. - Continued - | ||