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).
Phantom III overheating and losing water during an Autocar test at Brooklands.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 96\3\ scan0117 | |
| Date | 28th September 1936 | |
| STEADMAN Are these bad cylinder heads, or are the radiator shutters sticking Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}8/KW28.9.36. holin HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/STD S/W. WOT. C to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} C. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} -> C. to Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Gr{George Ratcliffe} to Hx. Phantom III. Re Autocar test and Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}11/KW25.9.36 which reports valve seizure and irregular running on this trial, in order to enable the Autocar to finish their tests with a view to having an article in this week's "Autocar", we lent them 34-EX the following day. This car created a very favourable impression whilst being driven on the road under ordinary conditions. In completing the acceleration tests at Brooklands and the maximum speed tests, which were rather interfered with by the misbehaviour of 3-AZ-38, the car boiled pretty badly after the burst of speed and Fraser tells me that after he had left the Autocar representative, he had to put in 3 gallons of water. The car was filled up by Fraser at the track just prior to the tests. This, as you know, is only one of several occasions, on which this particular car has lost a lot of water, and no doubt you will wish to investigate what is now happening to this car to bring about this result once again. In a recent memo to Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} (Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}10/KW21.9.36) I reported that when driving this car under normal conditions to Portsmouth the water temperature reached 100. Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} | ||