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).
Responding to complaints about a 10,000 miles test car's shock absorbers and tyres.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 78\2\ scan0216 | |
| Date | 23th January 1920 | |
| X.3461 CJ. from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to Bn.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}5/LG23.1.20. X.3044. X.3461. X.3507. X.3743. - 10,000 MILES TEST CAR. With reference to your complaints on this car with regard to shock absorbers fouling luggage carrier and tyres catching mudguards. - 1. Shock Absorber fouling luggage carrier. The Luggage Carrier for this car was only completed a few hours before the Car left Derby. There was a clearance for the shock absorber but evidently not sufficient. It is not clear to us as yet how it is that the shock absorber could foul the fitting for the luggage carrier are both fixed to the frame so that they should move together over a bumpy road. We are also not clear that even if the shock absorber fouled the luggage carrier that this would force the lever off. I have wired and written to Maddocks for him to supply full particulars. 2. Tyres fouling mudguards. The Body fitted to this chassis is a very old one which was made five or six years ago and and has since then been running on 7-CA Car. There was no chance of getting a new body for this car so we had to make the best we could of what we had got. The coachbuilder in fitting the body on, put it further back than it was on its own chassis so as to give more room for the driver. In doing this it has crowded the rear wings between the door and the wheel. Another reason is that the body was made when we used 895 x 135 tyres - now we are using the extra large tyres, these take up some of the clearance. We regret these things should have occurred but it must be remembered that whenever an experimental car being got ready, we always try and get the maximum number of new parts on to it. In doing this we always get rushed for time because the parts take longer to make than one anticipates. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||