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).
Advantages of the Lancia Lambda car and recommending its purchase for evaluation.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\O\2April1926-June1926\ Scan071 | |
| Date | 29th April 1926 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to BJ. RG.{Mr Rowledge} ✓ c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}✓ ORIGINAL. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}2/LG29.4.26. LANCIA LAMBDA CAR. tws/8 It was pointed out by ourselves and agreed to by Sales after tests on a car, that the Lancia Lambda has certain desirable features with its method of suspension. CJ. authorised that we should purchase one of these cars. The Lancia Company are producing nothing else now but the Lambda type chassis for touring cars, and there is a ready sale for these cars. In the case of lorries, they are still retaining the more orthodox design. We personally know of a Lambda car which has been driven 20,000 miles - it has been driven hard and fast most of the time. The only mechanical failures have been breakages of the rear springs. There has been no trouble at all with the front suspension. The advantages of the Lancia suspension are most apparent when driving fast over really bad roads. As it is a Continental car, this would be the condition they would chiefly have to provide for. We think the Lancia, especially in the drivers seat, is more comfortable over very bad roads than any other car we know of. Some of the advantages on the Lancia are as follows :- (1) Having no orthodox type of front springs, enables them to get a very good steering lock. The wheel base of the car is 11 ft. 2", and the turning circle is 38 ft., compared with our 20 HP. which has a wheel base of 10 ft. 6" - turning circle 40 and 47 ft. contd :- | ||