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 from Ethyl Export Corporation regarding a complaint about the company's negative stance on the use of Ethyl petrol.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 150\1\ scan0312 | |
| Date | 30th July 1937 | |
| ETHYL EXPORT CORPORATION THAMES HOUSE, MILLBANK, LONDON, S.W.1. E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} W. Hives Esq., Director, Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., Nightingale Road, DERBY. 30th July, 1937. Dear Mr. Hives, We, and the major oil companies, are very disturbed with regard to the attitude which your Company has adopted towards the use of Ethyl petrol. I do not mean particularly that the Works side of Rolls-Royce is responsible for this because, as you know, I am well aware of the present technical situation regarding the use of Ethyl in the various models of your cars. It appears to us, however, that the Sales and Service Departments in London are definitely anti-Ethyl, and in some cases Ethyl has been blamed for troubles which cannot be attributed to its use. In fact a case has recently come to our attention in which the owner of one of your cars, who had been having trouble, was advised that if he discontinued the use of Ethyl petrol his troubles would disappear. In actual fact this particular car had never used Ethyl, and therefore the remarks made by your Company seem to us unjustified and unnecessary. In view of this case the chances are that there are other cases similar to this which have not come to our attention. Of all the petrol consumed in the world to-day more than 50% contains tetraethyl lead, and in America, with some twenty-three million automobiles, 70% of the fuels contain lead. In other words, practically every American car will be using Ethyl for a large proportion of its existence, and if the position were as grave as is suggested by the attitude of your Sales and Service Departments I think you will agree that it would be quite impossible for us to have continued in business as long as we have. In this connection it might be of interest to you to know that our sales this year show a very considerable increase over a similar period last year. I am not suggesting by any means that Ethyl is a perfect fuel, but I think from the above you will appreciate that it is a generally accepted one, and the fact remains that the bulk of cars, from the cheapest to the most expensive, operate on it year in and year out quite satisfactorily. It seems to us, therefore, all the more extraordinary that your motor cars, which have the reputation of being the finest in the world, are amongst the very few which are apparently unable to use a petrol which also has the reputation of being the best of its type. This is more remarkable in view of the fact that cars | ||