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).
Analysis of American automotive technology and practices for potential improvements.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 173\3\ img100 | |
| Date | 4th April 1934 | |
| -15- That an analysis to explain the valve spring trouble on the Bentley in the U.S.A. should be conducted. We recommend that our starter motors and dynamos should be brought into line with current American practice. We believe that we are the only Automobile Manufacturers in the world at present designing and developing our own electrical equipment and would suggest that it is once again worth considering whether there is no other acceptable source of supply, in view of our pressing demands on design and development in other directions. It appears that our synchromesh gearbox has not yet lost its attractiveness when compared with competing devices, and that we should concentrate on getting the weight down so that it compares with the best results obtained by the Americans, and see if silence and durability can be retained. Also on getting the silent bottom gear on helical splines. We have to investigate the merits of the American Marles steering and compare it with our own. The possibility of more attention being given to weight analysis has already been suggested. We apologize for nothing on the 16-cyl. Cadillac but its size; on the other hand in our experience Automobile problems get more difficult with increasing scale effect and therefore we think it may be considered a good automobile in spite of, rather than because of, its size. Another attractive feature is that only 400 are produced a year; therefore their small production problems are similar to our own. Considering this, and the high American labour cost, the fact that this car can be sold with complete equipment for £1600 is worthy of investigation. Also how they produce all steel bodies in about five different types for this chassis without the final price becoming prohibitive. The outstanding impression left after this visit to America is that the excellence of their better class products is directly proportional to the money they spend on development, and that relatively, for various reasons, they spend a lot more than we do. | ||