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).
Conditions for proceeding with a 4-speed gearbox design, while arguing against its necessity and criticizing the Sales department.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\K\November1923\ Scan123 | |
| Date | 23th November 1923 | |
| ORIGINAL SECRET. TO - ES. FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} C. to Dr. W. C. to By: H.S. C. to P. S. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} A.{Mr Adams} C.I. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} A.{Mr Adams} C.II. AND 40/50. R1/M23.11.23. SUBJECT TO CORRECTIONS. X9770 X2565 To avoid still further delay we have put in hand the designs for the 4 speed gearbox. I must however make the following conditions imperative - (Directors agree and vote.) (1) That the Sales take the responsibility for the extra delay, the extra cost, bulk, and complication, which I think quite unnecessary. (2) That we abandon the advice of our Chief Engineer, and our Sales take the responsibility of destroying the work and enthusiasm of part of the design staff. (3) Personally I have only a very few years at most to help with this work, and I should like these to be as pleasant as possible, there being sufficient trying difficulties in our endeavours to get the designs as near perfection as we know how. (4) That the Sales are quite unfair in their method of bringing statistics to support their views in favour of 4 speeds, and also statistics even if wisely used are illogical. (5) The Sales knock out the Americans (they are all 3 speeds, or less) including the views of our own people over there. They (the Americans) make more cars than all the rest of the world put together, they have made more than half the cars that are in England in use, they have taught us much in late years of car design and manufacture - to wit, the detachable head, the starter motor, spiral bevels, ground gears, etc. etc. Yet for some reason they are not to be included, in spite of CJ. using two 2 speed ones, and LHB for many years an American car. (6) They (the Sales) include endless small powered cars which naturally have all the gears possible as their lowest gear must be a crawl to be safely powerful enough. They will find if they take large cars, and of recent design, that they are many of them 3 speeds, especially some of their competitors, such as the Hispano. ※(Are we as timid as a little lamb?) (7) However whatever statistics shew have we not faith in our own judgement to be in a minority※ We have done so before in regard to other parts. If all of us wait until the European majority is 3 speed we shall wait for ever. On the same line of argument we should never have made a 6 cyl. engine, and even now should at once put in hand a 4 cyl. one. (8) It would be better to make one or two less cars which are less costly and superior, than to make the few extra ones that we may otherwise loose because we only had 3 gears. (9) Our engines are more flexible than any other similar car engines in existence, they are the most powerful through the largest range of speed, therefore we ought to have less gears than anyone else. When you see the power of the NACL. as buil (1) | ||