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).
Steering failure for chassis No.B.11.AE, belonging to Mrs. Smith Bingham.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 88\1\ scan0111 | |
| Date | 13th December 1934 | |
| Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} C1/DFB/13.12.34. Chassis No.B.11.AE. Mrs.Smith Bingham. Owner's Complaint Report No.66.13.12.34. ----------------- We received an urgent telephone message yesterday, the 12th inst, asking us to proceed to an address at Caverfield, Near Bicester, to carry out repairs to the above owner's 3 1/2-litre, which had failed that morning on its way to London. From the telephone message, we were given to understand that it was a broken ball race in the offside stub axle, but after examination on arrival at the above address, it was ascertained that the offside swivel pin had broken in two places and that also there was a fractured roller in the top roller bearing. The defective parts are being returned to you under our advice note No.3947, marked for the attention of Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} The facts as far as I have been able to ascertain are as follows:- Mrs.Smith Bingham was proceeding to London and had just taken rather a nasty corner at speed when suddenly the steering locked on (what was indeed a stroke of good fortune) a comparatively straight road. She telephoned for the other 3 1/2-litre Bentley and on this being brought along by the chauffeur, left on her way to town, leaving the broken down car for the chauffeur to return to Caverfield. The car was brought in under its own power slowly, but it is an extremely lucky thing that the steering elected to lock on the straight. The chauffeur was with the mechanics the whole of the time, but although as much as possible was done to hide everything from him, he could not help seeing what was the cause of the trouble. For your information, this chassis is fitted -contd- | ||