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).
Visits to French coachbuilders detailing observations on body construction, materials, and components.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 125\1\ scan0161 | |
| Date | 29th January 1935 | |
| MO. 29th January, 1935. REPORT ON VISITS TO FRENCH COACHBUILDERS ACCOMPANIED BY MR. PUNT ON FRIDAY 25TH AND MR. SCLATER AND MR. PUNT ON SATURDAY 26TH. Starting out with Mr. Punt on one of his usual tours, we first called upon Van Vooren's. There I saw several bodies in constructions, amongst them being the light Bentley Saloon with no centre pillars, both doors closing to the centre. This body certainly seemed light compared with the rest of the bodies in their works, but I feel certain as regards the framework they will not get under the weight of our first Bentley Saloon. Then again, panelled in steel in the main, whilst the doors, wheel arches and rear wings were panelled in aluminium. Their foreman pointed out that being no strain upon these parts, he was risking aluminium upon them to keep down weight. The method of construction was similar to ours, glued and screwed together, but I noticed the rises were fixed firmly to the rear of the chassis - which I pointed out to them was wrong - and Mr. Punt is writing to Bentleys to get a ruling on this. Anyhow, Mr. Sclater is going to risk it from an experimental point of view and promised to let me have a record of its road tests, etc. The doors seemed very heavy and had a section of rubber lip between them, fixed to one door, to keep out the weather. These were locked top and bottom with a centre control handle at waist line. They were hung on concealed pillar hinges which I thought were of a very crude appearance - the front ones. Mr. Sclater had previously informed me he was having the rear ones made especially, but actually they were simply a copy of what we call our Gadstone concealed hinges which are made of bronze and maleable, whereas he is having them made of all steel forgings with longer fixing flaps. I pointed out to him the risk of them seizing up, being made of all steel, and that in our Cabriolet bodies the front folding head pillar used to be like this one and we found trouble from seizing up and often broken. The foreman immediately saw my point and he is in future having one half made in bronze to avoid this. | ||