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).
Letter to the editor of 'The Motor' magazine comparing ancient and modern Bentley performance on the Ards circuit.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 160\5\ scan0153 | |
| Date | 23th January 1941 | |
| The Editor, The "Motor" Bowling Green Lane, LONDON. E.C.1. 23.1.41. Dear Sir, Mr. Peter Bennet and Mr. G.Robinson have opened up an interesting subject when they compare the ancient and modern Bentleys. It is no reflection on the pioneers that design progresses. The deceptive part of the present day Bentley is its silence and the fact that its steering, brakes and suspension are all in keeping with its acceleration and maximum speed. The Ards circuit is a course "par excellence" for the car that has no weak feature, and that is where the 10 m.p.h. increase in average speed comes from. The speed quoted by Mr. Peter Bennet was not a flash in the pan, as we believe at a later date a 4¼ achieved the record speed for the race of over 80 m.p.h. As an indication of how progress is achieved, could Mr. Laurence Pomeroy analyse the modifications that have been made to the design of the old Bentley chassis in order to improve its performance so vastly. What a pity that the latest Bentley, recently described in the "Motor", can never compete over the Ards circuit to show the benefit of independent suspension in m.p.h. Yours faithfully, | ||