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).
Complaints about present production cars, focusing on American tyres and driver perception.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 45\1\ Scan087 | |
| Date | 7th September 1920 | |
| X.4050 Extract R6/G7.9.20. To CJ. from R.{Sir Henry Royce} Copy to EAC. " " LHS.{Lord Herbert Scott} " " Sir. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Goulding. " " SA. " " Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} " " PN.{Mr Northey} " " Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} " " EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} " " Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} " " By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} " " H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} " " R.R. of Am. Inc. (For the attention of Oy.) X.2565 RE PRESENT PRODUCTION CARS. I am anxious to remove some wrong impressions of the present R.R. cars. There has been very little change in the designs of the parts which have been recently complained of, and although one has the impression that the workmanship is not quite up to pre-war standard ( one cannot expect that it would be ) the chief cause of complaint against the present chassis has been largely due to the use of the American tyres of cord type, pumped up to very hard, and made of very resilient rubber, and in earlier cases of steering complaint they had (Mr. de Salamanca's) non-slipping treads made of high standing blocks of soft rubber, which allowed the rear of the car to roll sideways on the road. I know from experience that new cars often produce a poor impression because they are not sufficiently run-in, and one also knows that a driver fits himself and his driving to a car, and when this is changed he is inclined to think the new one worse rather than better. Contd. (upside down text at bottom right: R.R. 338A. (1000) 20-3-20. G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} 643. (G.S). (L.T.) R.{Sir Henry Royce} 2418) | ||