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).
Meeting minutes discussing car body defects, hardware design, and comparisons with Cadillac bodies.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 30\1\ Scan022 | |
| Date | 25th July 1934 guessed | |
| PAGE THREE. individual taste by means of applied mouldings, variations in colour schemes, etc. 9. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} mentioned Mr. Archer's visit to London when he tried several new cars by arrangement with JLS. He found defects on each one of these cars and Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} expressed surprise that the cars could have approached so near completion with these defects existing. Amongst other things, Mr. Archer noticed Park Wards are still fitting the heavy, unbalanced exterior door handle originally on Wor{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}'s own car, although they had promised him they would abandon the use of this when it was found on his car to have a tendency to cause the door to open. (NOTE: Park Wards have been asked for an explanation of this and have replied that since the trouble was found on Wor{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}'s car they have given up fitting this type of handle except where the customer insists against their recommendation.) 10. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} made reference to the bodies on Cadillac chassis. He pointed out that these are not pressed steel bodies but produced in small quantities (say 400 per annum), and from this point of view are comparable with our own. But the construction of the bodies is superior to that of ours and the hardware is better. 11. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} suggested that W. should be furnished with details of body complaints, in the same way as they have details of chassis complaints, and he asked in particular that W. should be furnished with details of the complaints of the first batches of Saloons and Coupe bodies for the Bentley chassis. O.{Mr Oldham} agreed that these details should be sent to W. 12. It was agreed that E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} should set up a Department, with Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} at its head, to design hardware, such as hinges, door locks, etc. for bodies and to investigate all possible methods of improving their mechanics. It was further agreed that Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} should be responsible for improving the engineering side of coachwork and for seeing that the Works' recommendations are adopted by OVER | ||