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).
Offer from the Bosch Company for magnetos, starter motors, generators, and battery ignition sets.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 49\5\ Scan065 | |
| Date | 1st February 1921 | |
| Contd. -2- that as regards the essential parts, compared favourably with the German, we still had no guarantee that all the magnetos would be up to the sample that we had been shown. The President of the Bosch Company then made the following offer:- 1. They would be prepared to allow one of our Inspectors to examine the Magnetos before they were erected and reject any parts which were not equal to the sample approved of by us. (The Bosch Factory is only 2 miles from R-R Springfield. 2. They were willing that all machines should be tested for silence and efficiency before they left their Factory and we could reject any which were not up to the sample. 3. They would gaurantee their Magneto for the same period of time as we guarantee the parts we make viz:- for three years. The guarantee would have the same conditions as our own guarantee. 4. They would sell the Magneto to R-R Springfield for 35 dollars each, compared with 92 dollars which Springfield pay for the Watford. Attached to this report is a letter from the Bosch company confirming these points. As regards the Starter Motor and Generator, they said that they were prepared to design and produce a special Starter Motor and Generator for Rolls-Royce. They were willing to accept our criticisms in the design of these and were prepared to do all they possibly could in order to meet our demands. I recommended to R-R Springfield that they should allow the Bosch people to examine the Smith Dynamo which is on 4.EX Car so that they could see what quality and what efficiency we expect; at the same time pointing out that the Smith did not satisfy us for silence. Whilst I was at the Bosch Factory they also showed to me a Battery Ignition Set, consisting of coil ballast resistance, high tension distributor, contact breaker and automatic advance governor. I thought the finish and the arrangement of this was very neat. It is a better looking set than the Remy sets we had during the war. We admit it has not got some of the refinements which we possess in our Battery Ignition, but if we criticize it on that score, we must also bear in mind the cost. The cost of this Battery Ignition set complete (at Springfield) is 14 dollars or roughly £3 par value. The Cost Department at Derby give a figure of £24 for the cost at Derby of similar Contd. | ||