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).
Summary of impressions from a show, comparing British and American cars on price, silence, and smoothness.
| Identifier | Morton\M19\ img266 | |
| Date | 26th October 1931 | |
| Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}1/AD26.10.31 contd. -8- Summary. The general impression left by the show is that whilst British manufacturers have an almost complete ascendency in cars below 16 H.P., in the 25 - 35 HP. class there is nothing to compete with the Americans for price, silence, smoothness and flexibility. In the Humber Snipe class 3498 cc. there is the 3610 cc. Buick, Studebaker Commander and the 3611 cc. Graham Paige, selling at under £300 in the States, and all excellent cars for general refinement and performance. We believe that we can compete with any of the American straight eights for silence and smoothness when we have our latest engine improvements and diamond mounting, provided that we do not have to use a higher compression ratio or gear our engine lower to get the same performance as they do. We think that 25-EX in the condition in which it did 10,000 miles is the equal or superior of any car we have ever tried for smoothness and silence, not excepting the Hispano twin six, Daimler double six, Cadillac 16, or Maybach 12, infact the Hispano is the only car that compares with it. On the other hand 18-GIV which is now about to start 10,000 miles is a 36 cwt. complete car with a 3670 cc. engine against the Chrysler we tried, 37 cwt. with a 4624 cc. unit and for this reason J.III will help us to excel in this class in which the Americans at present hold such a monopoly. In the smaller size of high grade car which is largely outside American competition, the price on the one hand appears to be relatively so much higher, and the degree of refinement so much lower that the prospects of successful competition do not seem un-reasonably remote. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||