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).
Arguing for the continued use of the 4-speed gearbox over the proposed 3-speed, citing customer satisfaction and performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 75\1\ scan0076 | |
| Date | 11th February 1919 | |
| X3426 R.{Sir Henry Royce} from FP.{F. Potts} c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to EH. C. to Cy. EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}17/F11219. 11th. February, 1919. I was very surprised to hear from Mr.Olley that on future cars we should use only the 3-speed gearbox. Our experience both with the cars themselves for all-round use, and regarding customers' satisfaction, is that the 4-speed gearbox with the present comparative ratios is certainly the most popular. I have never yet come across a customer who has a 4-speed gearbox who would prefer the 3-speed. On the contrary, quite a number of customers who have the 3-speed gearbox have desired the 4-speed type. It was definitely proved in the Austrian trials that the car could not do the work on a 3-speed box which it could do with a 4-speed. I quite appreciate Mr.Olley's point that for America, the 3-speed box may be all that is required, but at the same time, he agrees that the fact of the car having a 4-speed box would not be any disadvantage from a selling point of view, P.T.O. | ||