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).
Performance of the 20/25 HP Chassis, the merits of a new carburetter, and a performance comparison with a Buick.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27a\1\ Scan189 | |
| Date | 15th November 1934 | |
| 44013 To Eg. from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. to Tr.{Capt. F. W. Turner - Finance} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}35/KW.15.11.34. 20/25 HP. Chassis. Replying to Eg.8/E.14.11.34. We think that your memo. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}7/E.14.11.34 covers the ground very well. It is unfortunate that the improved performance likely to be obtained from the new carburetter seems to have been somewhat unduly stressed. Referring to Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}2/KT.28.11.34 where we summarised the tests which we carried out in conjunction with Bales, you will observe that we put the merits of the new carburetter in the following order :- (1) Better slow running. (2) No popping in the exhaust. (3) Elimination of the sticking air valve. (4) Improved performance. We are very conscious that the 20/25 performance is open to criticism when compared with other cars of the same overall dimensions, not so much with regard to maximum speed as acceleration. Fortunately, generally speaking we do not have complaints of the 20/25 performance, but we can quite understand Sr's difficulty on the Continent where this particular feature is always a primary consideration. As an example, the Series 40 Buick which we are about to purchase has an engine slightly larger than the 20/25, and a complete 4-door Sedan curb weight of just under 31 cwts. If we take the average 20/25 with a similar type of body as weighing 36 cwts., the Buick is nearly 20% lighter. | ||