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).
Letter from Rapson Tyres responding to a complaint, promising a new set of tyres for testing after a previous set proved faulty.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 39\1\ Scan036 | |
| Date | 12th December 1921 | |
| X1238 BY APPOINTMENT. THE RAPSON TYRE. "GUARANTEED AGAINST EVERYTHING" THE RAPSON SUPER-JACK. "GUARANTEED FOR EVER." RAPSON TYRE & JACK WORKS BURLINGTON ROAD NEW MALDEN SURREY. F.{Mr Friese} LIONEL RAPSON, Proprietor. Royal Users of Rapson Inventions:- H.M.KING GEORGE V.{VIENNA} H.M.QUEEN MARY. H.M.QUEEN ALEXANDRA. H.R.H.PRINCE OF WALES. H.R.H.DUKE OF YORK. H.R.H.PRINCESS MARY. H.R.H.DUKE OF CONNAUGHT. FLR/TS. TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS:- RAPSONO NEW MALDEN, SURREY. TELEPHONE:- MALDEN, 190, 191, 192. December 12th 1921. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} W. Hives Esq., Messrs. Rolls Royce Ltd., Nightingale Road, DERBY. Dear Sir, In reply to your letter dated December 5th, for which I beg to thank you, to be quite candid I am not yet quite ready to provide you with the set of tyres for testing purposes, that you ask for. You will probably have seen from my advertisements that the production of tyres starts from these new Works on January 1st, and these will be the first tyres actually made by myself since my Company was formed. Believing they will be far better than any Rapson tyre ever manufactured previously, I naturally prefer to wait until say, February or March, when my own Brooklands track tests will have been completed. I shall then be delighted to supply you with a set of 6 free of charge on the understanding that you render me fortnightly reports. I am exceedingly sorry that you had such bad luck with your first set, but I think you will agree, these were not representative Rapson tyres. The results obtained on Rolls Royce cars by gentlemen like H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister etc. etc. are proof positive that when properly made, Rapson tyres give exceptional service. Again, in the desert on your Rolls Royce armoured cars, I have a letter from the Director of Research in which that Officer states that the average mileage obtained from ordinary pneumatics including cords, was but 5 miles. Rapsons stood up on armoured cars for hundreds and hundreds of miles and | ||