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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).
The poor record of the 20/25 clutch and the consideration of fitting a Borg & Beck clutch as a replacement.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 103\1\  scan0201
Date  21th January 1936
  
W/S - C.
c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}
c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer}

4512

Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/KW.21.1.36.

Clutches.

Replying to C11/C.15.1.36.

We agree that from the Quarterly Complaint list the present 20/25 clutch has recently established a bad record.

The record seems to be so bad, and the cost of putting complaints right so high, that we are making a special effort to get a Borg & Beck clutch which will give satisfaction on the big bore 20/25. We are sure that the Borg & Beck clutch life will be about 10 times that of the present standard clutch, and the test proceeding in London this week may enable us to reverse our decision, which was that we should have to make some more standard clutches.

On the Bentley we have of course been fitting the fabric on the driven member for 200 cars or so, and we believe there have only been 4 cases of trouble occurring with this clutch. On the big bore we are fitting a Borg and Beck which we think will give satisfaction in all except the extreme cases where a man really does drive in a primitive manner, or neglects to adjust his clutch when the pedal reaches the boards. We know that if we get only one quarter of the complaints on the Borg & Beck clutch which we have recently had on the standard clutch, it will be criticised unmercifully, and we are therefore reluctant to move precipitately.

Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}
  
  


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