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).
The general trend of automotive development, including competitor pricing, brakes, cooling, and steering systems.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 179\3\ img127 | |
| Date | 31th March 1932 | |
| -5- Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rs.{Sir Henry Royce's Secretary}1/MA.31.3.32. cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} At the moment all the 12 cyl cars sell at round about 4,000 except the Auburn which is 1,500 to 1,700. The alternative seems to be for some of these firms manufacturing the highest grade of car, to turn over to quantity and manufacture the cheaper class. This has already been done by Pacards and Chryslers. Chryslers consider that this is the profitable business. General Trend of Development. Brakes. These are receiving intensive development. The cast iron ribbed drum is appearing on all sides. Various methods of centrifuging cast iron onto a pressed steel flange are being developed some of which look exceedingly promising. Power assisted brakes are being demanded by the public. The Stewart Warner Co., have developed a servo of the friction plate type. The others are vacuum operated. The Lockheed hydraulic brake transmission is almost universal on truck work, and gaining adherents on passenger cars, particularly taxis. Cooling. The 12 cyl engine has tended to reduce the air speed through the radiator core considerably. To cope with this the Harrison Rad. Co., have developed a new core, very light, with considerably increased indirect cooling. Unfortunately there is no machinery in England that can make this core at present. The design of fan has also undergone modification of which we have particulars. Steering. The adoption of the shimmy shackle seems to be almost universal. Steerings are more irreversible than R.R. practice. They still, however, have a certain amount of self-centreing. On the whole the American Steerings are one of the most improved features of their cars. | ||