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).
Secret memo suggesting the acquisition of a Hispano car to compare its front-wheel brakes against their own.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 73\2\ scan0024 | |
| Date | 27th September 1923 | |
| X9940 To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to CJ. c. to RG.{Mr Rowledge} SECRET E.A.C. ETC. HsS/LG27.9.23. FRONT WHEEL BRAKES. X9940 X4214 X1746 X4609 As it would appear, fitting the front wheel brakes as standard on to our cars - whether 40/50 HP. or E.A.C. - is a matter of extreme urgency, we suggest it might be helpful if we obtained a competitors car which is fitted with a good example of front wheel brakes in order that we could get a relative comparison with anything we make. We suggest that we ought to get the latest Hispano car. The reason we suggest the Hispano is because they have fitted front wheel brakes as standard for a number of years and it is a car of which large numbers are run at high speeds on the Continent. Although we may be getting the Isotta, one sees very few of these cars on the road, and therefore they would not have had the experience the Hispano must have had for developing their brakes. We also very often get the 'Hispano' quoted as an example of high speed and powerful chassis. It would be valuable to have one as a comparison for the E.A.C. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||