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).
And comparing price offers for standardised saloon car bodies from Park Ward and Mulliner based on order volumes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\1\ scan0170 | |
| Date | 11th November 1937 | |
| To EH. from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} To Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to C. re Park Ward Bodies. Referring to our conversation the other day, you will remember that I did not succeed in obtaining on the telephone the information I wanted as to what Park Ward's latest offer was for standardised saloons. The point is that, as the result of what they were told some months ago, they say that they have been studying ways and means of building the body more cheaply - in fact Mr. Roberts says they have spent over £500 in evolving this new method. We have always in the past ordered bodies in batches of 50. To get any reduction at all we should apparently have to commit ourselves to 200 and the only reduction would be £15 per body, i.e. £350 instead of £365. For 500 bodies, which would of course be a very big commitment for this type of car, the reduction would be £70 per body, i.e. £295, whereas the Mulliner price for bodies in quantities, as per the sample we are having made, is £214 in lots of 50, i.e. £136 cheaper than the Park Ward, or £200 in lots of 100. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||