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).
Test report on an overweight and dangerously unstable Bentley motorcar with poor steering.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\1\ scan0317 | |
| Date | 26th October 1934 guessed | |
| -2- We must do something to prevent Bentley Cars being built above the guarantee weight. Park Ward P.2 - 86 SK. From the weight sheet it will be seen that this car is 4 1/2 cwts. heavier than the Barker Std Continental and all of this extra weight is aft of the rear axle which actually reduces the load on the front wheels. So great is the change in weight distribution, that the centre of percussive is moved back, causing the rear seats to have the better ride. The car was hopeless to drive on the road, even without luggage and four sets of Golf Clubs. The steering was badly effected by the weight distribution, and the tail tried to steer the car. The car was tried on the road today again and it was found that a cross wind caused the car to steer as though it had a mizen sail on the tail when driven in a cross wind. We think that it is a great pity that when the design of this body was submitted to B. for approval for exhibition, we were not given the opportunity of criticising it, because all of the defects discovered on test, we would have foretold before the car was built. We all agree it is a dangerous motorcar. Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} | ||