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).
Comparison of engine and chassis design, materials, and manufacturing costs against a competitor's model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\5\ scan0434 | |
| Date | 15th September 1938 | |
| -2- (2) Extreme Simplification of Design. We agree that the present B.50 engine may be 10% to 15% more costly than the S.S. unit due to its material and design. The rest of the chassis cannot differ by as much as this ratio. As an example, one of the firms who are quoting for the S.III frame also makes the Jaguar frame. They expressed the opinion that our design was much the less costly to produce of the two. The double S.S. exhaust system with 4 expansion boxes is more costly than the single system we are adopting. These two items are probably balanced by the fact that they have fewer pieces in their gearbox and brake linkage. The S.S. petrol tank would be rejected by our Factory as being a most impracticable production proposition. However, let us assume that the design of B.50 throughout is 25% more costly to produce than the Jaguar, though we are certain that this is very unfair to our own designs. (3) Materials. On B.50 our extravagances are limited to about 100 lbs of aluminium, and alloy steel for the steering levers and connecting rods. If we pay £10 more for this materials than we should for cast iron and carbon steel it represents a top figure, and £10 is less than 3% of the projected factory cost of B.50 chassis. (4) Good manufacturing technique backed up by sound purchasing of fabricated parts. We have so far accounted for less than 30% of the 100% difference we are seeking. We are of the opinion that the remaining 70% can be accounted for by the heading of this paragraph. On the purchasing side, we have information of one specific example. We pay more than twice as much for our crankshaft forging as Jaguars, though our design is less complicated and we agree to accept the same material. | ||