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).
Test drive and technical analysis of a 4-litre Terraplane car, noting good performance but poor high-speed handling.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 21\6\ Scan081 | |
| Date | 9th October 1933 | |
| Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} XU217 To WGR. from E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} FN. EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} re 4 litre Terraplane. I took the above car for a short run yesterday and my impression is that there is no doubt about the excellence in respect to performance of the chassis and the smoothness of the power unit, and it is evident that the difficulties of getting smooth acceleration on a straight 8 due to poor distribution have been overcome. In respect to steering and road controllability at high speed, the car is distinctly bad, and might be more aptly described as the 'terrorplane'. There is one point however about the car which awakens special interest and that is that on the road the car, apart from the two axles does seem to be all in one piece instead of a jellying mass of components joined together, and we are interested to know how far this is due to the special form of construction employed for the frame. The main peculiarity of the frame is that it is extraordinarily stiff sideways due to most of the top being filled in with a sheet of steel which forms the floor of the body, and also the open panel in the plan view which houses the engine is well bracketed in the corners. The frame should be also very stiff torsionally as it is fitted with a large cruciform member behind the power unit and other torsion resisting features. Probably the main sources of torsional rigidity is due to the body which is of course made in steel and is practically built up on the frame. R R The radiator is crossbraced to the scuttle, a scheme which is made possible by the dash being part of the steel body and the radiator cap does not waggle a fraction on the road. We should be interested to know how the bottom part of the radiator is connected to the frame. The engine is elastically mounted on this rigid base and by holding the gear lever its movement can be felt. | ||