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).
The deceitful and unexpected performance of the brakes on a Bentley.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\2\ scan0135 | |
| Date | 11th April 1934 | |
| #3 X206 To E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} re the Bentley. Copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}Wcr. As the result of En. having a car to use himself, he has come to the conclusion that, whilst the brakes are, as we know, very wonderful in their efficiency, nevertheless they are most deceitful and behave at times in the most unexpected manner. He tells me that on three occasions he has been let down by the brakes when he very much wanted them, twice in emergency stops and once when demonstrating their efficiency. Once they simply died away for some unknown reason once the axle tramped so badly that the brakes had to be released and then put on again, and once, owing to the back brakes having locked the wheels and therefore stopped the servo, the front brakes were released with the effect that, although the roads were quite dry, it felt as though one had run from a dry to a very greasy patch of road. He adds that it is quite easy to lock the back wheels on a car as light as the Bentley, and in his opinion it is wrong that the front brakes should only be actuated by the servo; he says it is so alarming when the progressive action of the brakes suddenly changes to less brake-action for a greater push on the pedal. I should like to have your comments on this. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||