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).
Driving notes and impressions on a 12-cylinder Lincoln car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 126\3\ scan0019 | |
| Date | 1st December 1935 | |
| Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}15/KW2.12.35. NOTES ON 12-CYLINDER LINCOLN. Engine 46.8 h.p., 6,900 c.c. Price of complete car,Saloon, £1450. I liked this car less than the one I tried two years ago which was slightly more powerful. The first point that struck me about this car was the extraordinarily bad visibility from the driving seat. The nearside wing and side lamp were completely out of sight, and were invisible even when one stretched over to the nearside to try and see them. Driving in traffic was consequently very unpleasant. This car has 17" wheels, which no doubt contribute to this. The windscreen was a considerable distance from the driver, and there was an unnecessary amount of space between the windscreen and the steering wheel. The bonnet, which is fitted with thermostatically controlled shutters, is very heavy. The chassis is not fitted with independent front wheel suspension and therefore lacks the charm of this system. At the same time, over pieces of really bad road, the car behaved extraordinarily well as regards springing. Steering very low geared and unpleasant from the point of view of placing the car where one wants. Not at all nice to drive at night for this reason on a crowded road. The steering was,however, entirely free from any form of kick even on a very bad road. The brakes had a tendency to pull to the right. This is a very unpleasant and dangerous feature at night time, because one cannot see that the car is veering to the right, and it made the car very unpleasant to handle, particularly when coupling this fact with the unselective steering. The engine was, I consider, quite noisy at more than normal engine speeds, and the amount of roar and fuss generally from under the bonnet was quite unlike what one would expect with a 12-cylinder engine. It has a comparatively small air silencer, and I understand that the fan is blamed for a lot of this noise. It is also rough, particularly around 50-70 m.p.h. There was no evidence of any tyre noise whatsoever, | ||