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).
Unfavourable performance aspects and running issues of a vehicle, including suspension, lighting, and brakes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 97\4\ scan0296 | |
| Date | 14th January 1939 | |
| -2- pressure was necessary, and the engine was smooth, quiet and performance satisfactory. The overdrive is excellent for high speed work, the car has a feeling of just 'loping' along with an entire absence of engine fuss. B. Unfavourable. On really bad roads as experienced in Switzerland, the suspension was far from satisfactory, allowing continual hitting of the front buffers (although it has since been discovered that a damper had failed). The shake of the lamps and wings was bad and very noticeable, so much so that the headlight beams could be seen to shake. The steering column shake and steering joggles were bad, and rattles from the horn button and the body were objectionable. It should be noted however that 9.B.V. frame is of the weak type i.e. less in depth and unwelded. 9.B.V. car with the latest frame does not appear to suffer from front end shake. The headlamp and pass lamp anti-dazzle system was entirely useless. As fitted up, the pass light was directed sufficiently far away from the near side kerb to permit reasonable speeds to be maintained, but in this position it annoyed oncoming drivers, so much, that they switched on headlamps, waved fists, and generally demonstrated their disapproval. We therefore adjusted the pass light to be directed sufficiently obliquely across the road to prevent dazzling other people, the result was that on dipping, nothing of the road could be seen, and speed had to be reduced to about 30 m.p.h. or less, and on two occasions we narrowly missed hitting cyclists. We consider that the scheme of putting out the O/S. headlamp and dipping the N/S, or the use of twin filament headlamp bulbs, is preferable to the pass light scheme. Comments on details of running. Trouble was experienced with the following items. (1) Handbrake became inoperative owing to the ratchet operating rod becoming bent. (2) Rear shock damper connecting links chewed up their rubbers and wore ½" through the anchor plate on the springs. | ||