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).
Use of aluminium versus steel wings for experimental and customer cars, weighing rust risk against durability.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 55\1\ Scan197 | |
| Date | 28th January 1932 | |
| 8155. S/W. {Sales / Derby Works} Hs. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} (c. to Wor. {Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Sg. {Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} DA {Bernard Day - Chassis Design} /Ev {Ivan Evernden - coachwork} , Hm {Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} ) Cx {Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} 7/KW28.1.32. re- Aluminium and Steel Wings. We have noted with interest what you say in Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Lid. {A. J. Lidsey} 6/MA26.1.32, and it would certainly seem that it would be best for all Experimental Cars, which are likely to do 10,000 mile test runs, to be fitted with steel wings. In view, however, of the fact that our customers - who naturally do not put their cars to the same severe tests to which our Experimental Cars are submitted - do not experience wing troubles such as you have had to deal with on Test Cars, there would appear to be no justification for employing steel wings in view of the ever present risk of rust coming through the paintwork. We know that cars with steel panels and pressed steel bodies do suffer from rust even to-day, and we do not therefore expect our customers to be anything but severely disgruntled if they found rust coming through the wings on a car for which they had paid a high price. In Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Lid. {A. J. Lidsey} 6 you do not mention anything about rust, and we would be interested to know if there is any sign of rust coming through on the wings of 19-G4. As an instance of the fact that cars with aluminium wings do not suffer under what we would call normal use, we would mention that 26-EX is quite a good example of a car with aluminium wings which has been put to fairly strenuous, although not abnormal, usage both in this Country and abroad, and we have not experienced any trouble with these wings due to the inherent weakness of aluminium. So far as 18-G4 is concerned, if this car is likely to do a further 10,000 miles test, it would probably be more economical to equip it with a new pair of steel wings than to spend about £8.10.0. on repairing the existing wings, which are probably just as likely to break again . We therefore agree to this. We also agree that in future all Experimental Cars should be fitted with steel wings. Cx. {Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} | ||