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).
Policy and quality of standardized coachwork from various suppliers like Barkers and Park Ward.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\1\ scan0339 | |
| Date | 8th November 1934 | |
| x204 To-S, from EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}1/HP.8.11.34. c. Sgs, Wor{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}, LHB. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Sx. re Standardised Coachwork - Re Z.1/C.6.11.34 and EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}2/GC.27.10.34. We regret that in our EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}2/GC.27.10.34, we may appear to discuss the question of the policy as to whom we should go to for bodies, in fact, in paragraph 4 we say that we appreciate the considerations of policy governing the disposal of our body orders. We wished to call attention to the placing of an order for a batch of 25-HP. Four Light Saloons with Messrs. Barkers, without:- (1) Our being informed. (2) Our being able to assure that the body will be as good as that which we now obtain from Messrs. Park Ward, after several years of development work. It is our present experience that Barker coachwork is structurally inferior to that of Messrs. Park Ward, and we know that they have no experience of building in quantities to jigs. The reasons why our Experimental coachwork has been concentrated at Messrs. Park Ward's are:- (1) For many years previously we used Barker and Hooper bodies and these were very unsatisfactory because these coachbuilders would not work to our designs. This is essential when building a body for an unknown chassis. (2) Because they are big retailers they traded on the secret | ||