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).
Reprint of a magazine article reviewing the performance and comfort of a Continental Touring Model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 19\1\ Scan096 | |
| Date | 1st March 1931 | |
| Rolls-Royce. If he has succeeded in obtaining a comfortable 80 m.p.h., then it is high time for him to start working towards a still more comfortable 90 m.p.h. In making a practical test of this Continental Touring Model, I discovered at least two points at which the recent improvements are not only remarkable but positively baffling. The springing, for instance, is definitely better for fast touring. This is no mean achievement in view of its previous excellence, but what astonished me was the fact that the back seat now seems to be actually a trifle more comfortable than the front one. ANY experienced motorist will agree that this is a complete reversal of the usual state of affairs. However good the suspension of a car may be, it is generally found inevitable that the chauffeur, who sits in the centre of the wheelbase, should be better provided for than the owner who foolishly insists on sitting over the back axle. In the new Rolls-Royce the back seat is just within the wheelbase, but even so it is extraordinary that the springing should be definitely at its best within a few inches of the axle. Again, it is highly creditable that this car should be some 10 m.p.h. faster than its predecessors, and one would be pleasantly impressed by the fact that flexibility at low speeds has not been sacrificed. I DID not, for obvious reasons, test the absolute maximum speed. Messrs. Rolls-Royce, who specialise in modesty, would no doubt murmur something to the effect that the car “should exceed 90 m.p.h.” The chauffeur told me privately that he had once touched 100 m.p.h. Its minimum speed I can vouch for, and I should estimate this, in top gear, at approximately 2 m.p.h. As for the car’s cruising speed, this is, of course, limited only by the road conditions. Variations of surface affect it hardly at all, since the low-built chassis sits down on the road with exceptional stability. It may give some indication, however, of the insidious charm of the Rolls-Royce when I say that on a wet day I found myself, quite unconsciously, driving it habitually at 60 m.p.h. I have long ago used up my small stock of superlatives in trying to sum up successive Rolls-Royce models, but of this one I must say that it is the most remarkable combination of the sports model and the luxury carriage that I have so far encountered. Reprinted from the March 1931 issue of Britannia & Eve Rolls-Royce Ltd. 14-15 Conduit St.{Capt. P. R. Strong} London W1 Telephone Mayfair 6040 | ||