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).
Typed report memo page critiquing the B.III model's performance, access, and seating, comparing it to previous Bentley models, with two handwritten postscripts.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 146\1\ scan0227 | |
| Date | 30th March 1938 | |
| Sr3/ET.30.3.38. - 2 - uselessness of a twelve cylinder which, as you know, today is a general customers' cry. As long as we can pull away quietly on top gear, the car being almost at rest, as it is possible to do with B.III, and avoid engine periods, which seems to be the case with B.III, we will be in a very nice position, from a commercial point of view. The access to the car is at last what it should always have been; by this I mean the facility for getting in and out of the driver's and passengers' seats. On the other hand, the actual seating comfort of the rear seats does not seem to be as good as it is in our present Bentley cars, due to the elimination of wells. I would not call the rear seats uncomfortable, but there is room for improvement. To sum up, I feel certain that, when this B.III has been knocked about by those people who are responsible for making it a 100% motor car, given its qualities as a first edition, it will become a worthy successor to a still very remarkable motor car, the 4 1/4 litre Bentley. Sr. P.S. TO Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} I am sending you this direct, without having mentioned on the copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} that I was doing so. P.S. I was not struck with the peak speed of this car, which is not superior to the present Bentley. On the Continent, peak speed is of course a very important matter. h/ | ||