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).
List of reported worst features and required improvements for the 40/50 HP and 20 HP models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 47\2\ Scan026 | |
| Date | 25th November 1927 | |
| S/W Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} X4117 C11/C25.11.27 Re WORST FEATURES. Presumably these lists are now in need of revision. Do you agree to the following being items that require attention, and if so, do you agree that the order we give is the order of importance for dealing with them - it is the order in which the Sales Conference put them:- 40/50 h.p. 1. Clutch troubles. Stopping, jaggers and slipping. 2. Squeaky springs. 3. Simplified chassis lubrication system. 4. Engine noises idling. Tappets, pistons and magneto. 5. Cut-out failure to shut - sticking. 6. Suspension. Need for some possibility of adjustment of damping for varying loads. (Handwritten: DONT AGREE) 7. Burning up platinum points - desirability of some form of battery charge indicator - Overcharging. 8. Unreasonably early pinking. ? (Handwritten: NEW HEAD) 9. Engine thuds and rumbles. 10. Poor acceleration at slow speeds - Top gear. (Handwritten: High [illegible]) 11. Servo moans - development of. 12. Piston knocks. - Hot and cold. 13. Noisy magnetos and inaccessibility of contact breaker. 14. Seizure of slipper drive. 15. Tendency of New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I engine to fire and revolve backwards in switching off. (Handwritten: NEW HEAD) 16. Explosions in silencer. (Handwritten: NEW HEAD) 17. Improvements in steering, including rattle of controls in column. (Handwritten: NEW HEAD) 18. Overheating in Phantom - back and front. (Presumably this is now adequately dealt with by the "covering the exhaust" scheme.) 19. Failure of petrol supply - choked filters, etc. (? on Phantom) 20. Squeaking of exhaust baffle. (Handwritten: S S School) 21. Autovac effect on slow running. 22. Brake squeaks. 23. Back slap of brakes. 24. Drain tap to empty oil base in lieu of plug. 25. Accessibility of radiator drain tap. 26. Easier gear change - as easy and good as on 20 h.p. 27. Reserve petrol cock in dashboard. 28. Larger petrol dial gauge or indicator on dash. 29. Uniformity of appearance of engine details Presumably this will in due course be met by various parts which are now brass becoming aluminium. 20 h.p. 1. Starter motor failures. 2. Unreliability of slipper drive. | ||