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 from Raymond Mays regarding car suspension and race feedback on experimental brakes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90\4\ scan0166 | |
| Date | 11th April 1938 | |
| RAYMOND MAYS EASTGATE HOUSE BOURNE LINCOLNSHIRE TELEPHONE: BOURNE 17 April 11th 1938. S.W.Grylls.Esq. Messrs.Rolls-Royce.Ltd. DERBY. My dear Grylls. I have not yet had a reply to my letter of the 4th inst. Please let me have your views, as I want to take the Car to Park Ward at the earliest opportunity, and should like to hear from you before doing so. Have you fitted different type rear springs to my present Car ? - I ask this because in my opinion the Car is definitely not so comfortable on the road as the other Bentleys I have driven. There is much more 'kick' when going over a bump, and the back of the Car goes up and down considerably more than on my last Car. I expect you will soon think I am full of complaints about this new Car, but I know you like me to give you my candid opinions, and I am convinced it is correct what I say about the rear suspension. We had a very bad day at Donington with the two works Cars last Saturday. During practice we had an enormous amount of trouble with the new experimental brakes I am trying out, and only on the morning of the Race did we find the trouble, and then during the Race unfortunately from the second lap onwards one of the Lockheed pipes (as fitted by Lockheed themselves) cracked, and from then onwards I had very little braking, until eventually I was faced with having no brakes at all when doing 140 m.p.h. On Howe's Car, for some unknown reason a tappett closed up - This was a great pity, as we should have had the Race literally in our pocket. Kindest regards. Yours sincerely. Raymond Mays | ||