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).
Performance and features of an 18 HP Lanchester car after testing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 22\3\ Scan095 | |
| Date | 26th February 1932 | |
| 8440. To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} From Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to B. c. to PN.{Mr Northey} c. to Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}2/MJ.26.2.32. 18 HP. LANCHESTER CAR. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} and myself have been out on this car and we agree that it is not as good a sample as the one we tried in London. On the other hand, we still consider that this is the best car of its class. We attach herewith a report on the experimental tests of the car. It should be noted that the performance of this car is very good indeed. It is a better performance than the present 25 HP. cars we are selling. We do not expect the Peregrine to give a much better performance, except that we hope to be able to save a little weight compared with the Lanchester. We agree that there are more noises and 'fuss' than the car we had at London but the fact that we have tried a car which is better, shews what is possible with this design. We think we should hesitate before we criticise the fluid flywheel. I think it may be that one has to live with the car for a while to appreciate it. One can quite imagine a driver who had been brought up on a car with a fluid flywheel getting on to a car with an orthodox clutch and making an awful mess of it - he would condemn the present clutch as something that wanted much too delicate a touch to be practical. I have tried an Armstrong car without the fluid flywheel and I did not think it was very good, but it may be that they have improved since then. W. and myself consider that we definitely ought to keep this car until we have learned more about it. The fact that this car is being sold in quite large numbers, although it is expensive compared with a number of cars of similar capacity, shews that it does satisfy a large number of customers. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} See Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey}2/MA.25.2.32. | ||