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).
Confidential memo detailing a road test and chassis examination of an S.S. Jaguar.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 126\5\ scan0009 | |
| Date | 3rd July 1936 | |
| CONFIDENTIAL. X1104 All testers. A/HP.3.7.36. [Illegible signatures] To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} and Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c.Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c.By. re S.S.Jaguar. I have recently tried the Jaguar that we had here on loan, and also scrapped with one of these cars on the road last week-end. There is no doubt this car has a very good top speed performance. Acceleration however was not as much as I had expected. The general impression from riding in the car over the short distance experienced was that the ride is good, but there is a considerable amount of noise and coarseness, a lot of which comes from the lack of silencer, and a fair proportion of mechanical noise. The car in question also was clattering very badly from the rear somewhere. I am of the opinion that a lot of money would have to be spent on this car to bring it up to the Bentley standard, but at the same time I think we ought to be able to get the Bentley effect at less cost than we do. I was very interested in the chassis design and general economy of the structure on the Jaguar, and, therefore, examined this car over a pit. It is apparent that the very minimum of ground clearance has been employed and the silencer and exhaust pipe show very evident contact with the ground. On full bump the exhaust pipe appears to have 1¼ ground clearance without allowing for any further compression of the tyre. The general frame level is made very low, and there is a cross which stops short just soon enough to allow wells for the rear passengers. The cross is built up of rivetted construction re-inforced with welding, and the side channels are boxed by continuations from the cross, the box being held together by electrical welding done at intervals. I think the designer's arrangement of the body accommodation and chassis frame is good, but it can only be taken advantage of by having a central change to the gearbox. | ||