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).
Structural and spatial issues of a proposed Bentley instrument scheme with concave dials.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 168a\1\ img017 | |
| Date | 27th June 1935 | |
| W/S. To C.M. from E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c.c. Ev{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}/Ogl. By/RD. Ha/WST. S/W WST 46135. E.2/HP.27.6.35. Bentley Instruments with Concave Dials. The Bentley scheme of instruments with concave dials shown on RR. Scheme 868 is not sufficiently good structurally to be worth making. This scheme was drawn to find out whether or not the job was possible, and in my opinion the result is to show that there is not sufficient room. The width of the instrument board in the deep -section is cut down to nearly .312 in the critical space opposite the cut-a-way for the steering column and even with this reduction there is only room for the normal position of the steering, the upper range of adjustment being washed out - in other words, if anybody required the steering at the top of its adjustment the column would cut clean through the instrument board. Again I am sure the overhanging thin portion of the instrument board would give trouble. On the last occasion when we discussed the instrument position with Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}, the position was that he was satisfied with the Bentley instrument lighting, and this being so I think we have too much in hand for carrying on any further with alteration schemes for the Bentley unless there are very strong reasons for doing so, and especially in view of the small amount of room available and the difficulties enumerated above, which difficulties indicate that a complete revision of the instrument layout would be necessary. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} | ||