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).
Circulating a draft letter to customers explaining the delay in fitting front-wheel brakes due to safety concerns.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 73\2\ scan0018 | |
| Date | 27th March 1923 | |
| x9940 To Mr. [illegible] " Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} " BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} " HP. " Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} " Sh. " EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} " Yd. " OY. " Kg. I have received the following memo' Ref. BJ17/H21.2.23 from BJ. which he wishes me to circulate. "Below is a copy of a letter which can be written to customers who have been informed by us that we had anticipated that we should be able to supply front wheel brakes. Please have this letter sent to any customers to whom you have given this information, to prevent any possibility of their continuing to spread the report that we are going to supply front wheel brakes, which might stop them and their friends from ordering Rolls-Royce cars until the front wheel brakes have been fitted. This letter should also be a guide when talking to customers who may in future ask about the prospects of front wheel brakes on our cars." "Dear Sir, Front Wheel Brakes. In a letter we sent to you on this subject in -- of last year, we may have lead you to anticipate that we might shortly be making a more definite announcement on this subject. It may interest you to know the position to-day in regard to front brakes, so far as the 40/50 h.p. Rolls-Royce chassis is concerned. Our experiments in this direction have not shown us that the advantages of front brakes in their present form outweigh their well-known disadvantages, such as causing dangerous skids, etc. Our policy is never to fit to our chassis any part that does not give perfectly satisfactory results during a prolonged practical road test, and as we know from considerable experience that the standard brakes now on our chassis give excellent results in every respect to the great majority of our customers, we feel that no alteration is justified which might cause trouble or possible danger. P.T.O...... | ||