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).
Future popularity of coupe bodies and the experimental work to improve their rigidity.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\3\ scan0023 | |
| Date | 15th May 1940 | |
| C O P Y. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} C. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair},Mr. Ward, Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork},Mr. Green. COUPE BODIES. We anticipate that, owing to the increasing popularity of the Coupe body, that after the war quite a large percentage of our rationalised chassis will be sold with coupe bodies on them. We believe that this will be true, parti-cularly of the small R.R. cars, which will appeal to the wife of the R.R. owner. In view of this fact, we decided that it was worth spending time and money on over-coming the lack of rigidity of the coupe, which has been its worst feature for the last decade. The solution of the problem was not easy and the attached re-port represents the result of almost 3 months continuous work at Derby. Without our somewhat elaborate experimental apparatus, installed at Derby, it is doubtful whether we should have got the answer. The Experimental solution is inapplicable to production in its existing form and drawings are now being produced at Derby to indicate the best possible way of incorporating rigidity in an acceptable form. 10.B.V. will then be altered to conform with these drawings and, if satisfactory, will represent recommended practice for all coupes built on the rationalised chassis. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||