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).
Technical report to the Directors comparing a recently purchased smaller Mercedes vehicle against their own designs and standards.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 22\5\ Scan064 | |
| Date | 1st December 1910 | |
| L09X 1st December 1910. To the Directors. With reference to the smaller Mercedes lately purchased, we find the engine power for the capacity of this engine is very good, though not better than our own. The back axle is a very fine piece of work, but the road wheels do not run on sleeves in the way we so much favour, and neither do we think the back axle would stand the stress of our usual test loads. The workmanship about this car is very fine indeed, although the design and running leaves much to be desired. The clutch, we think, is awful, and the engine runs on our dynamometer making a frightful row, through, we think, the springing of the crankshaft causing the camshaft gears to knock very badly. The lubricating pump of this engine is exceedingly ingenious, but very costly. The means of distributing the oil from the pump, although not carried out in the same way as our own, is, we think, an infringement on the principles laid down by us in our patent. In fact, we believe that for this reason they have not been able to get a patent for it. I have long wondered whether we are right in having brasses to our connecting rod ends, and then taking the trouble to white metal them. We find the Mercedes not only | ||