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).
Continental road trip test of the 8.B.V. car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 97\4\ scan0295 | |
| Date | 14th January 1939 | |
| 4806 To By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/wym.{G. Harold Whyman - Experimental Manager}9/JH.14.1.39. REPORT ON CONTINENTAL TRIP ON 8.B.V. DEC. 29th. 1938 to JAN. 6th.1939. On Thursday Dec. 29th. we took over 8.B.V. car in Paris for the purpose of testing same under continental conditions. Our intention was to proceed via. Switzerland to the South of France, and thence into Italy, returning via. the Pyrenees to Biarritz and Bordeaux. Weather conditions however prevented the carrying out of this programme, and our actual route was Paris, Geneva, Valence, Nice, Marseilles, Carcassone, Bordeaux, Chateauroux and return to Paris. During the first days run we struck bad weather and a good deal of snow, the roads were extremely slippery and only safe where sanded, our mileage being 226. The second days run was even worse (Chalon-sur-Saone to Geneva) because of the bad road surface which was aggravated greatly by broken ice and packed snow, under these conditions we could rarely exceed 25 m.p.h. without the car being continually on the front buffers, and our mileage was only 128. The third days run was a repetition of the second i.e. 137 miles and took us to Valence, but during the fourth day, conditions improved and during the afternoon became normal, although still very cold, and subsequent daily mileages were 247, 247, 247, 363 and 165, the latter being a short days run after working on the car at Chateauroux. The outstanding impressions of the car were as follows. A.{Mr Adams} Favourable. On normal French roads the stability and ride of the car was excellent, the steering apart from joggles good (although a trifle low geared for fast work on a twisting road) and one had the feeling that the car was always completely under control at all speeds, the brakes were good except for a period when unusually high pedal CONT'D | ||