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).
Confirming a conversation about developing coachwork for Bentley cars, comparing rigid, flexible, and 'Silent Travel' body systems.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\1\ scan0286 | |
| Date | 23th July 1934 | |
| To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}.......from Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Copy to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} C. Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} EvS/IH.23.7.34. re:- 5-B-4. --------- This is to confirm our conversation on Friday concerning coachwork for Bentley cars. Up to the present we have concentrated our efforts on producing a rigid body capable of resisting the distortion of the chassis. The ideal body in this category is the all-steel and it has been our endeavour to produce similar results with a hand made body built singly or in small quantities. We believe that it is possible to achieve a satisfactory result by this system, especially if in the near future we can have a more rigid chassis frame. The alternative course is the flexible body, as illustrated by the Weymann Body, which died out after several years of success, because it held up the progress in body lines. The present day edition of the flexible body is the Silent Travel, of which Messrs. Van Voreen of Paris are the Owners of the patent. As reported, after visiting Paris, every French Coachbuilder building Custom bodies of high class is using some form of this system. In this Country Messrs. Vanden Plas are the people who have had the most experience of the Silent Travel Body. We confirm that if we obtain a body from them by the second week in September, it can be used on the next 10,000 miles car - 5-B-4., the chassis being fitted with the open body of 4-B-4, or any other suitable body for its preliminary running. We suggest that in the design the body shall be an exact replica of the Park Ward Body already built for this chassis. We would very much like you to take over the Park Ward Body, as well as the proposed Silent Travel Body, and to mount it on a -1- | ||