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).
Loan of a Phantom III car (3-CP-10) for a press article, detailing its recurring dynamo faults and a drive shaft vibration.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 142\1\ scan0068 | |
| Date | 11th January 1938 | |
| 1204. S/W. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} o.{Mr Oldham} to Bkl Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}3/KW11.1.38. We are thinking of asking one or two prominent Press people to take a run out in the Phantom III in order to get a new write-up, and one of those we propose to ask is the technical representative of "The Motor". The last article they gave us on the P.III was done as long ago as September 1936, and we think it time we had a new one for sending out with letters, catalogues, etc. The car we are proposing to loan is 3-CP-10. Will you please let me know if there is anything you would like to do to this car before we let "The Motor" representative have it for possibly a 600 mile week-end run. This is the car recently loaned to Mr.Summers, and you have seen his letter of criticism. I also loaned it to A.R.Smith of the Ford Motor Company, Dagenham, and in his letter of thanks he merely states that it is a beauty and he thoroughly enjoyed driving it. There is a slight period in the drive shaft, he says, and thinks it builds up from about 50 m.p.h. This may be due to propeller shaft, and possibly you may consider it worth investigating with a view to changing it if that will eliminate this period. When the car returned from Mr.Smith yesterday I noticed that the dynamo was not charging. I changed No.2 fuse and this put it right. You will remember, however, that Mr.Summers complained of the dynamo not charging, and when I saw him in London after Christmas he said he had changed the fuse and it still did not charge. The report I had from Mr.Hayward subsequently was that he changed the fuse and it did charge. There seems to be something wrong with this dynamo if in such a short time a fuse is blown again as it was yesterday, and it seems to me that this ought to be investigated before we loan the car to people for two or three days, as the same thing might occur with them which may exhaust the battery before they return the car. Will you please let me know what you would like to do in the matter. Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} Lul | ||