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 to M. Olley of Cadillac discussing business conditions, car sales, the Bentley acquisition, and plans for a new Bentley model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 170\2\ img079 | |
| Date | 3rd January 1933 | |
| Expl. Dept. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}5/MJ. 3rd. January 1933. M.{Mr Moon / Mr Moore} Olley Esq., The Cadillac Motor Car Co., Detroit, Michigan.U.S.A. My dear Oy., I hope it is not too late to wish you a happy and prosperous new year, both yourself and family. We are always very interested to get notes from you and to hear how you are getting on. At the present time we are experiencing almost a boom period. Our aero engines are now standard in all types of aircraft in the R.A.F. and we are producing about 400 per year. For some reasons which we cannot explain in the least we are now selling motorcars in greater quantities than we have for ten years. The 25 HP. car is the best seller, but there has been a revival in the Phantom much to our surprise. Most of the orders are in the home market so we cannot attribute it to the depreciation of the pound, or in any way give credit to the politicians. The 25 HP. car is now very different motorcar to when you knew it and we have also managed to get a few more horses out of the P.11. As you are aware we bought up the Bentley business. We have sold the factory and all the plant except that which we wanted ourselves, and we appear to have got out of it by getting the Bentley goodwill, profit, and service station for nothing. The first idea of the Bentley was to produce a sports car rather on the Alfa-Romeo lines, 2 1/2 Litre s/c. Hm.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} and myself have never been enthusiastic about this. We claimed that the first considerations to be taken into account on a car were comfortable seats as regards room and height, and a chassis and engine which would take a covered body and still | ||