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).
Design and aesthetic considerations for a new C.S.C. chassis, particularly the bonnet and scuttle.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 65a\1\ scan0009 | |
| Date | 1st November 1925 | |
| C O P Y. To LHS.{Lord Herbert Scott} from BJ. (For C.S.C.) BJ2/H2.11.25. E.A.C.S. General Arrangement. With reference to the attached correspondence and blue print concerning E.A.C.S. this would appear to require very careful consideration of the C.S.C. from many points of view, and I would suggest that in considering it CWB. might be present, as he has studied the chassis dimensions. It would seem impossible for us to realise what such a car would look like unless we have one actually made. The sooner it is prepared for us to see, the better, as we do not want West WitteringHenry Royce's home town and Derby to go ahead designing some-thing which Sales will have to turn down when it is finished. The points you will no doubt wish to consider are:- (1) What will be the effect of lengthening the bonnet and very considerably reducing the length of the scuttle. (2) Will the bonnet be much wider than the present standard dashboard? If so, what will be the effect of the appearance? Will the top of the bonnet look broad and flat at the back, like a bull-frog or lorry? We particularly wish to avoid the loss of the greyhound appearance for which the Rolls-Royce has always been noted, and which gives it an appearance of speed, like an express railway engine. (3) Will the short scuttle necessitate a bulbous side to join the side of the bonnet to the side of the body? We are of course very much in favour of shortening the chassis in order to save weight, and at the same time giving plenty of room for carriage bodies. At the same time, we must very carefully guard against eventually turning out an ugly car. Doubtless the C.S.C. will consider how soon we could make a car on these lines for us to inspect, to obtain a clearer idea of what we are actually going to make, and how this can be done without the body-builders obtaining an idea that we are likely to produce a considerably altered chassis. B.J. | ||