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).
Dissatisfaction with high exhaust system costs and outlining strategies for reduction through material and design changes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 104\2\ scan0176 | |
| Date | 3rd March 1936 | |
| To E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to HOF. c. to Ey. c. to Ds. c. to RHO. c. to Sft.{Mr Swift} X523 Ha/Rs.{Sir Henry Royce's Secretary}14/EW.3.3.36. Chassis Costs. With reference to E.6/HR.28.2.36. and E/Id.1/BP.2.3.36. We are very dissatisfied with the cost of our exhaust systems and we have been working for the last two years to reduce this figure. We say definitely that our engines are more difficult to silence than American engines of similar size, because they have to work harder. We know this because we have tried the exhaust systems from almost every well-known American car on our 20/25 chassis, and they were all very noisy. We have attacked the problem from two angles, (1) reduction in material cost, and (2) simplification of the exhaust system. (1) Material. We think that in every case our material costs are too high. Starting with the Bentley, we are sending a system to France on B-50-HR where the material saving is £2. 10. 0d. per car. This is for little or no modification to design. If results are satisfactory the same material modifications are directly applicable to the 20/25. (2) Design. We have always regarded the Bentley as being the most complicated of our exhaust systems in production. We have attacked this first as being a car where we might give away a little silence for a considerable reduction in cost. | ||