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).
Letter to Specialloid Limited declining to guarantee a Bentley engine fitted with their non-standard pistons.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\4\ scan0329 | |
| Date | 25th October 1937 | |
| 1234 Rml/R.{Sir Henry Royce} 25th October, 1937. Specialloid Limited, Friern Park, North Finchley, LONDON. N.12. Dear Sirs, We note that you have now run your Bentley 10,000 miles, and wish to fit Specialloid pistons. You also ask if our Guarantee on the car holds good under these circumstances. We regret to say that we cannot see how we can possibly guarantee the Bentley engine when pistons are fitted to it of which we know nothing. In saying this we do not wish to suggest that your pistons will not function perfectly satisfactorily. We do know, however, and we believe you will agree with us, that a lot of development work is required to make any piston function satisfactorily in an engine unit, i.e., a piston which may be quite satisfactory on one engine may be a complete failure on another, due to variation in lubrication conditions, etc. One of the most inflexible rules of the Company is that nothing shall be put on the car until it has completed 15,000 miles' test satisfactorily on the road, and this is why we are able to stand by our guarantee. We hope you will appreciate our point. Yours faithfully, For ROLLS-ROYCE LTD. | ||