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 necessary modifications for producing left-hand steering vehicles.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\C\May1919\ Scan26 | |
| Date | 2nd June 1919 | |
| To C.J. from R.{Sir Henry Royce} Copy to OY. [struck through] " " BN.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} " " EH. ORIGINAL. R1/G29/5/19. 2 JUN 1919 RECEIVED X.3562. RE RIGHT AND LEFT HAND STEERING. I am in receipt of Mr. Olley's letter (OY6/F13/5/19) re right and left hand steering. I have always thought that it was quite necessary for the driver to be on the left hand side where the rules of the road are "drive to the right". I have waited, however, until the demand was confirmed definitely by the users of cars. I quite agree that for the American factory, therefore, the cars should be constructed with the steering column on the left hand side of the car. Possibly in the English factory we ought to construct them both ways. A long time ago I also came to the conclusion that to build a chassis with left hand steering, it is necessary to build a left hand engine throughout, except in its direction of revolution, so that we shall, in the case of left hand steering have the exhaust and carburettors on the opposite side to the usual. As regards the gear box, the changes would also be fairly extensive with the present design, and with left hand steering it is very desirable to have the centre position for the change speed and brake levers, as in the 20 H.P. then the alteration to these parts will be practically nothing, as I think it would be a simple matter to reverse the position of the brake lever to the other side of the change speed box. This is a definite argument in favour of adopting (Contd.) | ||