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).
Failure in the Spectre front damper assembly and proposals for improvement.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 95\3\ scan0112 | |
| Date | 17th July 1935 | |
| SECRET To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Copy to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} X346 SPECTRECodename for Phantom III FRONT SUSPENSION. Whoever is responsible for putting the SpectreCodename for Phantom III front damper assembly together without the sealing operation and for sending a car to France for a 10,000 miles test in this condition, has completely failed to realise that without this the dampers will not effectively hold oil. At least the Design Department should have been consulted. RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} informed me yesterday that three of the SpectreCodename for Phantom III frames had already been sealed with the rolling operation, and that one of these would soon be ready for bump test. I nevertheless still feel, as per my suggestion at our discussion and the general agreement, that to make the distance piece in steel and to tin and sweat the large area of joint between the two halves of the housing will be an improvement. RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} is holding up the remaining frames as regards welding assembly to get this on. We shall therefore have both types available for test. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} | ||