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 discussing the strategy for developing and building a body for the 10-EX model.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\Q\July1927-September1927\ Scan144 | |
| Date | 20th September 1927 | |
| BJ. from R Wer. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy. SECRET ORIGINAL R1/M20-9-27. X 8830 BODY FOR 10-EX My dear BJ., Our idea was that Conduit St.{Capt. P. R. Strong} thought little of the bodies that were made to our instructions, and so we suggested that to give the sports car a chance of getting a suitable body we would try say three ways in parallel, and after indicating the shape we thought best, and supplying a specification, Conduit St.{Capt. P. R. Strong} would get two London coachbuilders a free hand, and at the same time we should make one at Derby ourselves in our own way (which might be mechanically good, but inartistic and poorly finished), then we would run all three say in France, and soon find which is best, and this would be handed to the coachbuilder as a model of shape and construction. We now understand that Conduit St.{Capt. P. R. Strong} want us to select (with their help) a suitable firm of coachbuilders, and get them to make a body to WW. and that coachbuilder's combined ideas. I agree that DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} shall proceed. Whatever is done we would like one body made exactly to our instructions, but we should rather encourage any parallel attempt rather than the whole responsibility be in WW. hands. We said at Derby because in our Works we can quickly get any sheet steel work or forgings to our exact dimensions, and in the quality of material we think best, because the old weldable wrought iron used by several coachbuilders is out-of-date for this work, as it would be for aero engines, etc.. Yours ever, R | ||