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).
Conversation with the Maharajah of Rewa comparing the 8-litre Bentley to the Phantom II.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 21\2\ Scan073 | |
| Date | 12th January 1931 | |
| COPY. Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}/Kn{D. G. McKechnie - Sales}17/ES.12.1.31 re: H.H. The Maharajah of Rewa. The above called in here on Saturday morning in regard to his Phantom II car which he has now decided to take back to India with him. He informed me that he was only doing this as he could not get what he called a good price for his car in part exchange for an 8 litre Bentley. He has apparently tried all the fast cars including the Merceded and the 8-litre Bentley and he considers the latter to be the best car he has ever driven. He thinks it is far superior to the Phantom II in every respect. He particularly pointed out that the steering pleased him very much; that he did not get any movement on the steering wheel at all and also he did not get any road shocks transmitted through to the steering wheel, and he suggested that we should have an alternative type of steering to give to customers who did not like our present form of steering. He told me that the gearbox on the Bentley was quiet; the springing was very comfortable and the whole car was silent and flexible. He himself drove the car at 100 m.p.h. according to the speedometer and he said it was quite easy to control at this speed. He ended up by saying that unless we had a very good answer to the 8 litre Bentley we should find ourselves not in the premier position, as he felt sure that a number of the Indian Princes once they had experienced the Bentley car, would buy it in preference to anything else. Kn.{D. G. McKechnie - Sales} | ||