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).
Lightening coachwork, the introduction of 'Barkerlite', and a comparison of French versus English coachbuilding quality.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 71\1\ scan0299 | |
| Date | 27th April 1927 | |
| BJ. LHS{Lord Herbert Scott}9/C27.4.27 -2- certain Coachbuilder makes an improvement, is to be able to pass on this improvement to another Coachbuilder, and if we do so, to force them to adopt it. It must be borne in mind that the test that Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} subjects bodies to is very considerably greater than any car is subjected to in the hands of the average user, and although we certainly have complaints from customers of rattles, etc. the proportion is a very small one, and it is very rarely that we have complaints of actual breakages of fittings, such as they get during the course of a 10,000 mile test in France. We have been giving a good deal of time recently with a view to getting Coachbuilders to lighten their construction and save weight generally, more particularly on the 20 h.p., and this has produced the "Barkerlite", and, more recently, the coach-built body by another Coachbuilder which will be 3 cwt. lighter than the ordinary standard body. The CSC. have not so far had a great deal of experience as to the "standing up" qualities of these bodies, but it is believed that they will be satisfactory. We shall be only too pleased to welcome any suggestions that Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} can send us and we will see that they are brought before the Coachbuilders who are most likely to take notice of and act upon them. The CSC. will be interested to know why Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} gives the opinion that French coachwork would be more likely to "stand up" to conditions than the English-built coachwork; has Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} actually had experience of this, or has he seen certain examples which appear to him to be well designed and manufactured structurally? Has Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} any records of the respective weights of such bodies, as our experience is that, generally speaking, French coachwork is very heavily built. LHS.{Lord Herbert Scott} | ||