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).
Notes on rear end arrangements for luggage and spare wheels on the 'SS' chassis.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 13\5\ Spare05-page048 | |
| Date | 15th February 1929 | |
| Sgl/E15.2.29. Notes on Rear End of "SS{S. Smith}" Chassis & Luggage. Briefly our views are as follows: 1. That the arrangement as on 18-EX with the short body, the fairly large fitted trunk and the two wheels at the back is excellent, but only suitable for the limited number of purchasers who would be satisfied with a small body of this capacity on a large car such as the "SS{S. Smith}". 2. That it is absolutely necessary for selling purposes to be able to offer adequate luggage accommodation with the full sized body. We agree that the DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} scheme with luggage grid and trunks at the back and one spare wheel is not perfection because it means removing the trunks to use the spare wheel, but we consider it a great advance on what we have been supplying for years on the 20 and at present on the Phantom, i.e. having to shift the spare wheel from the back to the side when it is desired to use the luggage grid. 3. Whilst we use every effort to persuade customers to keep at least one wheel at the back for riding qualities, we are not convinced that the time has yet arrived when we could rely on selling in any quantities bodies with a permanent trunk built into the back such as you suggest, nor do we feel that the capacity of the small permanent box such as you show on the little drawing sent to R.{Sir Henry Royce} would be anything like adequate for normal touring purposes, and barely possible for the use of even two people when away from home for one or two nights. The size of permanent box as shewn and general arrangement appears to be more suitable for a small sporting type of car of which one sees many about, than for a 40/50 Luxury Car costing about £3,000. 4. We feel, therefore, as the result of the above, that whilst we must try to persuade people to accept one or other of the above alternatives, there will be a number of cases where we shall be forced to provide adequate accommodation at the back for luggage without any wheel at the back as shown in illustrations 3 and 4 of N.Sch.2799, and whilst the time may not yet be propitious to put this matter forward to R.{Sir Henry Royce} nevertheless we are quite certain the time will have to come when we shall be forced into that position, unless we | ||