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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).
Experiments with engine, transmission, and cooling system designs.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 24\1\  Scan050
Date  12th December 1931 guessed
  
13.

As regards engine and transmission, the three types actually tried are shown in Figs..........................
and as can be seen have resulted in a successive moving forward to reduce the overhang. No.....is the one adopted as giving the best result.

The engine used was a straight 8 giving 90 b.h.p. at 8 lbs per h.p. and therefor if a Vee engine were used giving one b.h.p. for 6 lbs weight, I anticipate the power could be put up to 150 or so without increasing tail swing, as although the actual weight of the engine would be increased the centre of gravity of the engine would be moved nearer to the back axle. This power would be sufficient for a cruising speed of 100 miles an hour with a body 50% larger than in the Lincoln.

I now turn to some of the other features of the design.

As can be readily imagined (after the engine position and transmission arrangement had been determined) the two major problems were those of cooling and appearance.

Three different cooling systems have been tried.

Firstly, side radiators, as shown in Fig.7, were used and in this case no fan was used. The cooling was effective at speed, but a fan was necessary for traffic work and the position of the radiators interfered with access to the luggage compartment.

Secondly the arrangement in Fig.8 was tried. In this case scoops and fans were used but great difficulty was experienced in getting the hot air away from the engine compartment. Another trouble was that the pressure set up in the engine compartment made the air travel forward under the body of the car and against the direction of motion carrying the smell and engine fumes into the back compartment.

In both the above cases a further difficulty was to
  
  


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