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).
Viability of contracting Park Ward's to build the B.50 car body.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\1\ scan0227 | |
| Date | 13th August 1938 | |
| -4- Summarising the position, we are in no way prejudiced against Park Ward's. On their figures, if we assume that Manning is wrong and that our criticisms of their costs can be neglected, there is not the slightest doubt that they are the people to build the B.50 body. They are, however, tackling a job of which they have no previous experience whatever. We have had Wilks's Views on making bodies with no tools and other people who have had experience say that they cannot do it at anything approaching the figure quoted if quality is to be maintained. It is natural to ask what Park Wards can hope to gain by putting in an un-economic figure, assuming that they are doing this on purpose. It does not seem to us that this initial figure will matter very much once they get into production, because Rolls Royce will be turning out 20 chassis a week and whatever the bodies cost they will have to pay or else hold up their output for six months whilst they find another source of supply. It would undoubtedly be cheaper to pay £150. extra per body. We feel that if the general opinion is that Park Ward's can work to the figures they have submitted and that therefore they are the people to do the B.50 project, then the only course is to make the 250 B.III bodies a preliminary canter for them and let them buy £1,000 worth of tools and shew they can work to the prices submitted. How this can be done without delaying the introduction of B.50 for twelve months it is difficult to visualise, unless in the interim the car is launched with a wood and aluminium body. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||