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).
List and analysis of easy-changing gearboxes and shifting devices from various manufacturers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 156\4\ scan0029 | |
| Date | 15th January 1929 guessed | |
| - 2 - At present a partial list is as below: (1) Internal geared easy-changing boxes. (Ahlm-Pearson patents) AMERICAN Auburn Chrysler (soon to be adopted) Duesenberg (new large car) Durant (has had for 3 years) Franklin Graham Paige (2 years) Stutz Stutz Blackhawk ENGLISH Beverley Sunbeam (negotiating) FRENCH Berliet Mathis (2) Other easy-shift devices. FRENCH Panhard (dog-clutch and helical gears) Voisin (separate transmission) AMERICAN Cadillac ("Synchro-Mesh" shift) LaSalle (These use conventional gears and are therefore not silent but are extremely easy to shift.) TRIAL RUN. Mr. Burton had an interview with Mr. Pearson in New York and drove his Durant car with his latest ideas in a four-speed transmission with internal-geared third. The shift could be made at practically any speed without declutching and without effort or objectionable shock, and the third speed (70% of high) was so nearly silent that the only noise was a slight over-run hum, audible by placing the ear on top of shift lever. The novice is often confused as to which gear is engaged. SPEEDS AND SHIFTING. The Durant, Mathis and others have a four speed box with inconventional shift: [Diagram of an H-pattern gear shift] Top: 2, 4, R Bottom: 1, 3 -continued- | ||