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).
Carburetter setting issues on B.V trials cars leading to reduced maximum speed and the implications for press demonstrations.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 144\2\ scan0032 | |
| Date | 16th February 1941 | |
| Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} file / 1212 Private & Confidential. To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}S/ET.16.2.41. B.V TRIALS CAR. We have now had three of the production B.V cars through our hands: 1 - The trials car. 2 - Mr. Breeden's car. 3 - Mr. Devereux' car. They have all been 5 to 7 miles down on maximum speed. This was due to incorrect carburetter setting. Correcting this has put the maximum speed back where it belongs, on two of the cars. We have not yet had time to modify Devereux' car. We agree that we were at fault in not asking for the trials car to be sent up to Derby so that we should check it over. It would have been quite impossible to do this for six months after the war started, because we had no personnel in the chassis division who could have done the job. This, however, does not excuse the fact that we failed to deal with this car during the past six months. Lp.{Mr Lappin}'s car would normally have been a guide to the situation had we not done experiments on carburation on it as soon as he took delivery, and in doing so rectified the trouble. Of course, had Brooklands been open, the matter would have been brought to a head much sooner. The whole matter seems to have confirmed one basic fact, that is that a trials car should not be submitted to the press for test until it has been checked over by some responsible person at the Works. Furthermore, we are convinced that better publicity will be obtained if these press demonstrations are handled by technicians. It is particularly unfortunate that this trouble should have arisen when an entirely new model was being introduced to the public for the first time. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||