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 of design improvement suggestions for a car, covering safety, comfort, and performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 19\1\ Scan276 | |
| Date | 11th July 1940 | |
| - 2 - (3) to injure his leg against it. (4) An alternative suggestion for the clock & the present system of having it incorporated in the face of the revolution counter would be to have one made of the same size as the base plate of the starter button and situated on the opposite side of the dashboard and thereby balance that fitting. This might be even cheaper and possibly better than the present scheme. There are many body details which of course we are watching this end but which may interest you. (a) The windscreen wiper such as is fitted to the open car is definitely dangerous. It projects several inches towards the passenger on the front seat and any sudden braking in emergency might throw him forward so that the operating handle would penetrate his forehead. It is even easy to bang your head on it getting into the seat. I presume we shall use wipers of the invisible type operated at the base of the screen but this may present a difficulty on the open car because of the folding screen, but we ought not to use the type fitted to the open black Bentley. (b) This car can 'corner' so rapidly that the passengers both back and front are inclined to be thrown about from one side to the other too much. Deep bucket seats keeping them in place both back and front would I think be an improvement, possibly better than the armrest in the back seat and may look more original and be more comfortable. The back seat could with advantage possibly be a little lower in my opinion. (c) The scoop ventilators when opened inside the scuttle foul the toe of the person driving when being released from the accelerator. These ought to be a little higher up to avoid that trouble. (d) A little more rake in the front seat cushions, not by raising the front, but by lowering the back part, would I think be an advantage. This car might be improved as regards speed if a more efficient type of front wing were fitted, and it occurred to me that we ought to experiment with a set of cycle type wings on the open car, the type which turn with the wheels. I believe I am right in saying that these are highly efficient as regards wind resistance. An alternative for efficiency seems to be the Panhard type, which is the other extreme and to which we cannot too readily accustom ourselves yet, and I believe | ||