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).
Provision of fog lamps and the positioning of horns on cars.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 61a\2\ scan0248 | |
| Date | 16th March 1934 | |
| S/W. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}/Cor. C. c. " BX. Hc/Wst c. " BY/BD.{Mr Berend} c. " Ev{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}/Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders} HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wst-86116 Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}9/KW16.3.34. R-R and Bentley Headlamps. In reply to E4/HP14.3.34. we are in favour of the provision of a fog lamp on our cars in addition to the headlights. We think that it is certainly up to us to show an endeavour to do something for our users to deal with the menace of fog when driving. As to the wisdom of moving the horns to a position behind the front number plate and under the apron, we have in mind certain objections to this. Firstly, when these horns are placed behind the number plate the penetration of the sound forward is diminished and they are much more audible inside the car. On Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s car this was tried out & the number plate was drilled with a number of small holes in front of the horn. We were not very pleased with this arrangement. Secondly, I seem to recollect that someone at W. pointed out that baffling the horns in this way disturbed their resonance, or in some way upset the effectiveness of this two-horn scheme. There seems to be a tendency for people to rather like a good many fittings visible on the front of their car and we do not believe there would be any objection to these horns being left visible. Of course as regards the air stream, that is another matter, but we must not forget that appearance does count for a lot these days. I was interested to read the last paragraph of your memo, as of course you have confirmed what I wrote to you in a memo which crossed yours, namely the inadequacy of a fog lamp for driving at night when the headlamps are put out for anti-dazzle reasons. Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} | ||