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).
Complaint letter to coachbuilder Park Ward regarding water leaks in a steel-bodied Bentley.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\3\ scan0036 | |
| Date | 30th July 1936 | |
| x204 Exptl. Dept. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}14/KW. 30th July, 1936. C.W. Ward, Esq., Messrs. Park Ward & Co.Ltd., 473, High Road, Willesden, London, N.W.10. Dear Mr. Ward, I took the steel-bodied Bentley down to Cornwall for my holiday last week. As you know, we had a lot of rain. My wife was reduced to sitting in a Burberry with a mackintosh over her knees, to protect herself against the water which came in in various places. The obvious leaks were the front joint of the sunshine roof, and the scuttle ventilator. To-day Bernard Hopps has been at the factory and his chief complaint is that his body lets water in. Without exaggeration, I think I am correct in saying that I hear more complaints with regard to water leaking into coachbuilt bodies than on any other subject. I am very disappointed about our steel body because you assured me that its previous deficiencies were due to the fact that you were away ill when it was at Willesden. I would like to suggest that you require some definite testing equipment to ensure that a body is weatherproof. From our experience it would not be very costly to arrange a chamber in which a car could be subjected to a 70 M.P.H. wind at the same time as being sprayed with water. I believe this is the only way you will reproduce troubles such as the ones I experienced in Cornwall. | ||