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).
Summary of customer complaints and comparisons between the Phantom and Silver Ghost models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 69\4\ scan0082 | |
| Date | 8th August 1926 | |
| SUMMARY. Att. to BJ2/D6.8.26. 1. Some customers say that the throttle lever control is less reliable on the Phantom than on the Silver Ghost, and that the setting cannot be relied upon to keep the engine running at any definite speed, which results in the engine stopping accidentally and customers leaving their engines running at high speed when standing at rest, causing unnecessary increased noise and damaging the car's reputation for silence. 2. Some Silver Ghost drivers preferred to use the throttle lever as an aid to changing gear but are unable to do so now to the same extent. 3. Some complain they were able to clean the throttle on the Ghost but find a tendency of the throttle to stick on the Phantom. 4. Some state that the Phantom is more noisy when stationary than the Ghost, and form the conclusion that the average Phantom is noisier, in spite of the enclosed tappets etc. They are unable to understand why this is so. They conclude that it is partly due to the increased noise in the exhaust, partly tappets and partly magneto. 5. Some drivers state that they have to leave their engines running for half a minute or so at the end of a hot run to prevent the engine reversing when switching off, and the consequent cloud of smoke and smell. 6. In certain hilly districts, such as Sevenoaks, some state that the Phantom will not climb as well as the Ghost. This is probably because the Ghosts had 14-tooth axles. 7. Some find that the slow running is not so good since the introduction of the autovac. The restriction elbow has only proved a partial cure. This complaint comes chiefly from the large number of customers who drive in London traffic. It causes drivers to search for the cause of misfiring and generally mystifies and annoys them. 8. Many complain of the squeaky baffle in the exhaust which drivers consider requires daily treatment, and we have found in many cases they vainly deluge the part with graphite grease, blacklead polish, paraffin, oil, etc., which when it becomes hot smells and smokes to the annoyance of the passengers. 9. Springing. It has been difficult to satisfy customers that the springing of their Phantoms is as good as it was on the Ghost. There are a good many rumours in society concerning | ||