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).
Secret memorandum discussing the financial and production implications of developing a new sports car model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 65a\1\ scan0114 | |
| Date | 30th September 1927 | |
| Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} X8779 SECRET. To Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} from BJ. Copy to R.{Sir Henry Royce} Copy to C. Copy to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Sports Model. BJ7/E30/9/27 With reference to C1/C30/9/27 attached, as mentioned in my previous memo. to you, now that Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} has visited WW, I await a full report of exactly what is suggested. Before any more money or time is spent on the job of producing a sports car for sale, the important points set out by C. must of course be carefully considered. There are two aspects to the production of a fast car: (a) What money must be spent on experiments with a special fast chassis solely for the benefit of the standard [struck out] 40/50 chassis at some future date - this R.{Sir Henry Royce} will know. (b) What money it is worth our spending to put into production a new sports chassis for sale to the public. It is obvious that the further the Sports chassis design is away from the present 40/50 standard chassis design the more expensive will the sports chassis become, and the more it will upset the Works production in general. Therefore, there seem three courses to be considered: 1. Is it worth our while to try for this sports trade at all? 2. If so, can we produce a reasonably fast car by reducing wind area of the body plus possibly a few inexpensive and easy chassis alterations? At the moment this appears to me to be the best policy. The Brooklands results were quite good enough for road speed requirements. 3. If it is impossible to do (2), then exactly what are the chassis alterations absolutely essential to produce such a car, what will they cost (if we only make 50 per annum) and to what extent will they upset standard production at Derby? When you and Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} can give me all the information possible to enable us to consider these points, we will have a conference - at as early a date as possible. | ||