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).
Comparative popularity and production costs of four-light versus six-light car bodies.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\1\ scan0212 | |
Date | 29th July 1938 | |
S/W. To EK. from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} copy to Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}✓ copy to O.{Mr Oldham} copy to Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} copy to Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders} 1021 Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}8/D29.7.38. Comparative Popularity of Four and Six Light Bodies. Since our discussion at Derby the other day and your recent memo. I have taken particular notice when walking about in the West End to see what type was most in use, and it was clearly brought home to me that the Six-light predominated from the small car upwards. I was not satisfied to work on this, however, but asked Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders} to get me some facts. I wanted to check up that there was not something peculiar about the Humber Snipe, which you will remember we previously found sold 70.7% Six-lights and only 13.3% Four-lights, the balance being Sports Saloons. In the American cars the Six-light certainly predomin-ates. We understand on information that the Six-light is slightly more costly to produce, even by the cheapest methods, and this you can quite understand, as the window has to be framed and glazed, which must be more expensive than just leaving it plain. In spite of this the Six-light bodies are standard on the Four-door varieties of such low-priced cars as the Austin 7, the Morris 8, Hillman Minx, 12 h.p. Vauxhall, Fords, Standards, etc.etc. The Standard, as you know, has the sloping back and there-fore could be made very attractive-looking as a Four-light, but despite this they go out of the way to insert an additional window in the rear quarter. It must be evident that those responsible for the policies of these manufacturers would not shoulder the additional cost of the Six-light, unless they were convinced that the public had a definite preference for such bodies. It might be mentioned that some of the latest taxis in London are having a window in the quarter, whereas of course only recently such was never the case. | ||