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).
Chassis modifications, spring ratings, and steering columns for specific customer orders.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 106\1\ scan0318 | |
| Date | 31th December 1931 | |
| re- 25 h.p. Springing. With reference to my memo Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}12/KW30.12.31, and to your query this morning about Sopwith's chassis, I have looked through the voluminous correspondence on this subject which C. had with W. and it appears that we must regard Sopwith's chassis as rather a special case, influenced greatly by what we did to Mr.Heal's chassis. The correspondence leading up to the fitting of Hartford shock absorbers in both cases appears to indicate that the suggestion of fitting Hartfords emanated from C. It appears that Mr.Heal wanted the chassis to be as low as possible, and for that reason when the bump clearance on his chassis was noticeably small C. suggested that rather than put on standard springs and so deprive Mr. Heal of the low appearance, it might be better to leave the flat springs on and fit Hartfords as well, in the hope that this would be a satisfactory remedy. It was partly because we had made Mr.Heal pay the extra £25. for this chassis with the special features that we felt justified in fitting Hartfords to the rear springs. Where Mr.Sopwith comes in is that he happened to see Mr.Heal's chassis at Mulliners Chiswick, and decided that he wanted his to be exactly the same. Therefore, what was decided in respect of Heal was thereupon decided by C. in respect of Sopwith, who also agreed to pay the £25. extra. Another case which the Works have started correspondence over is Sir Malcolm Campbell, and arising out of the fact that there has been specified in this particular case an F steering column for a Saloon body of a sporting type, W. have concluded from that that it may be another case of the Special Touring Saloon chassis and have asked us whether it is to be fitted with stiffer springs and friction type shock absorbers. It seems that whenever we specify an F.{Mr Friese} steering column on a 25 h.p. chassis W. are apt to conclude from that that it is another 25 built on similar lines to the Continental 40/50 and that it must be modified accordingly. In this I think they are wrong, particularly now that we have cured Mr.Heal's case by the fitting of low rating springs. We give the Works in cases like Malcolm Campbell's the ordinary standard erection particulars sheet with all the information we have, to enable them to fit springs of the correct strength for the work they are likely to be called upon to do, and since it would appear that the flat springs originally specified by W. for this chassis are not a success, then apparently we can drop for the future our supplementary charge of £25., as the only difference now really is the more sloping column which costs us no more to provide. (contd) | ||