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).
Proposed modification to increase the Bentley's ground clearance after a customer's concern.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 132\3\ scan0015 | |
| Date | 21th November 1933 | |
| X216 To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} From Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey} c. Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey}1/KT. 21.11.33. BENTLEY - GROUND CLEARANCE. We have received a letter from Mr. Geoffrey Summers in which he makes a few remarks relative to the Bentley car he has ordered. Having had an unfortunate experience with an Alfa Romeo car in which the oil sump plug was knocked off, due to insufficient ground clearance, he asks very emphatically that his Bentley shall not have the same defect. The ground clearance at this point is almost exactly the same as on the Alfa Romeo car, and we can therefore expect the same thing to happen. We propose altering our cars on the lines of the attached print, and as early as possible we shall press for standardisation on Bentley and 20/25 HP. cars. The modifications increases the ground clearance by .750". We have shewn no locking device for the drain plug as the split pin method, which is standard at present, has never been used on the 10,000 miles tests on the Bentley in France and the plug has never come loose. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey} | ||