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).
From CJ to R arguing against promoting the Phantom as a speed model in favour of the company's established reputation for smoothness and silence.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 113\2\ scan0100 | |
| Date | 3rd December 1925 | |
| COPY OF MEMORANDUM CJ6/E3.12.25. To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from CJ. My dear R.{Sir Henry Royce}, Many thanks for your interesting confidential memorandum, R1/M2.12.25, which I received at Adelphi Terrace this morning. We had yesterday decided that PN.{Mr Northey} should not go to the South of France, as we had come to the conclusion that we should not attempt to show off the Phantom as a speed model. I do hope you will not worry yourself about acceleration and super-high speeds. Our endeavour is to try to knock out of the heads of the people connected with this Company that we are out to beat the Hispano over the question of speed and very rapid acceleration. Our reputation was made on smoothness, silence, absence of vibration, durability and good petrol consumption. Whereas 3% of potential buyers may be speed maniacs, the other 97% are out after the qualities I have just mentioned and are not insane enough to require a car which has greater acceleration or greater high speed than the present Phantom has. My criticism of the Phantom is that, if anything, it is too fast and is going to bring about excessive petrol consumption and excessive wear and tear on both chassis and body. Rapid acceleration and the furious use of the brakes tend to make people vomit. The thought that any R.R. driver should be guilty of such practices makes me vomit but it seems to be extremely difficult and perhaps impossible to find any sure for this disease. I sometimes wish that the people in our Company who suffer from this fever would transfer their activities to the camps of our competitors. Yours ever, C.J. | ||