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).
Performance and issues of a 20/25 HP car after a test drive.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 107\1\ scan0295 | |
| Date | 8th May 1935 | |
| HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} x560 To Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} re My new 20/25 HP. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}17/E8.5.35 Copy to C.H.Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} GLO-5. JLR. Thanks for Wor{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}2/R.7.5.35. I had the car out over this last week-end and altogether ran a distance of 325 miles, a good deal of which was at speed, probably about half and half. I was not aware that you had been able to put on the new cam but I did of course know about everything else. I found the brakes very greatly improved - in fact had they been like that to start with, there would have been no complaint from me. Br.{T. E. Bellringer - Repair Manager} tells me that the brake drums were not oiled up so that the brakes were really purely inefficient from the start. What I do not understand is why our testers ever passed them in that condition. Re steering, I was disappointed to find that the fitting of the short type pendulum lever had not made the steering any easier than it was at Easter, prior to which the other modifications had been incorporated. We are still very much disturbed about the stiffness of steerings on the 20/25's and as C's GAE-19 is so good and no one knows why, I have asked him to write you specially, with a view to its being sent to Derby for investigation. He has taken an order on the strength of it and, as matters stand, we do not know how to reproduce it. The performance of my car was very much improved as compared with at Easter. I [illegible] can only assume that this was due to the fitting of the different carburetter. In comparison with GAE-19 it was poor at Easter but not so now. The petrol consumption over the distance referred to above worked out at approximately 14 m.p.g., i.e. slightly better than at Easter but not good from a customer's point of view. | ||