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).
Proposal to replace the petrol reserve tap on a Bentley with a system of three warning lights.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 167\4\ img029 | |
| Date | 18th July 1934 | |
| WST 84523 To Mr. from E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} E.2/HP.18.7.34. c.c. Mr-Hives. Mr. Wst. Mr. RB.{R. Bowen} re Petrol Warning Light in place of reserve tap on Bentley. With reference to the above scheme, our main object is to wash out the petrol reserve tap and all the piping on the dashboard, also the double pipe running along the chassis, in other words, we come down to one simple pipe connecting the pump to the fuel tank, and the driver is notified of having reached his reserve quantity of petrol by a green light on the instrument panel. We want to fit this scheme experimentally to a Bentley chassis, working to MR. sch.719, scheme (a). In scheme (a) the red ignition warning light is brought down to the bottom of the panel, which we have wanted to do for a long time, and it will keep company with the green light, so that both warnings are in the best position for attracting the driver's attention. Scheme (b) on the same drawing shows the red light in its original position, but we do not want to fit this on a chassis. Further to the above, we are adding a third warning light at the bottom of the patch which it is proposed shall be amber, to indicate to the driver whether his head lamps are dipped or not. With three warning lights on the instrument group it might be said that there is no indication regarding the individual purpose of each warning, but we feel that if the code is once established on our cars a short period of use will quickly establish the system in the mind of the driver, and that no explanatory lettering on the face of the instrument mount is not therefore necessary. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} | ||