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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).
Letter from Shell-Mex detailing the results of performance tests on a 3 1/2 litre Bentley at Brooklands.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 150\1\  scan0167
Date  7th August 1936
  
GRX
NCX1282

Telephone
TEMPLE BAR 1234

Telegrams
SHELBEEPEE TELEX LONDON

CONFIDENTIAL.

SHELL-MEX HOUSE
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT
LONDON, W.C.2

7th August 1936.

E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} W. Hives, Esq.,
Rolls-Royce Ltd.,
Derby.

Dear Mr. Hives,

I think you may be interested in my report enclosed on some tests I made at Brooklands yesterday with a 3½ litre Bentley belonging to Mr. G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} Legh-Jones who is an important official in our Associated Company, The Asiatic Petroleum Co. Ltd.

Mr. Legh-Jones had been inclined to criticise the performance of the car in that he considered it tended to knock slightly when using a straight spirit of about 70 O.N., but I think he is now satisfied that the car does all that you would claim it to do and that it is in good condition.

Will you please regard my performance figures with the Tapley Meter as distinctly empirical in nature as the instrument wants a lot of knowing and figures taken with a strange car are likely to be very misleading unless the mean of a very large number of observations over the same stretch of Track under identical driving conditions is taken. I would be glad, however, to know whether the horse power curve computed is anything like it should be.

Please do not regard my report in any way as a criticism of the Bentley. I should like to say, however, that I think that the ignition on this particular car is somewhat retarded, and I believe that it was put back to its present setting when the car last went into your Service Station for decarbonising.

I used the KLG 850 plugs as that was the type installed when the car was handed over to me, and I was assured by Major Carrington of KLG's that they would recommend them for any Bentley which was driven hard, and I must say that in about 30 laps of the Track neither set of plugs showed the slightest sign of overheating, although I did not give the car full throttle at any time continuously for more than a couple of miles.
  
  


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