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).
Observations on the body shape of a new Cadillac without platform steps.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\1\ scan0210 | |
| Date | 27th July 1938 | |
| 1021? S/W. To Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} C. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} C. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} C. to Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}4/D27.7.38. Re: Body Shapes. Referring to Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls}1/MH.{M. Huckerby}22.7.38, Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders} found one of the new Cadillac cars without platform steps in Lendrum & Hartman's Showroom. Several of us have been round to see it. The scheme appears to be quite good. The back floor is 16" off the ground, which is rather on the high side, but of course it would be better with a curb alongside the car, although one cannot always have this. As to whether the scheme is worth trying on a B.50, the height of which we believe would be about the same as above, could you not take one of the platform steps off the car you have got and see what it is like to step in and out of? If it is reasonably good, we could have the scheme on the next car or the third car. There are no leather flaps at the back end of the front wings, but these are made in the form of pockets to help prevent mud being flung over the body. The body widens considerably towards the back, so the back wings are narrow and the lower front part of them is protected by a rubber pad painted to match the car, this, of course, with the idea of protecting the wing against stones flung up by the front tyres. The radiator on this car is slightly lower than usual on American cars, i.e. the top line of the bonnet slopes upwards from the front, which obviously is done to improve visibility. I noticed leather flaps on a car in somebody else's showroom the other day, which was much more neatly arranged than on the B.3 car I tried. Instead of being attached to the splayed end of the wing, it was fitted a little further up at the bottom of the wing and straight across, so that it was nothing like so visible. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||