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).
Meeting notes discussing potential car features and components from steering wheels to automatic hill holders.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 161a\2\ scan0144 | |
| Date | 23th February 1938 | |
| Notes of Meeting -- 15. Bluemel type steering wheel - adjustable from driving seat for height. No one seems very keen on this but we must look at it again on the Jaguar which we are purchasing. 16. Rheostat control to instrument lights. This is being tried experimentally but no one seems very keen on it as, if the lighting is correct, it should not need to be brightened or dimmed. 17. Direction indicator switch on steering wheel. HY.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} says a scheme is in hand for this but in any case, if it cannot be on the chassis, Sales must standardise the position and the centre of the scuttle rail is the next best place. 18. Organ type accelerator pedal. We are not keen on this. 19. Reverse light switch built in so that it operates the reverse light with the gear lever in reverse. It was agreed this should be adopted and that there was no need to complicate it by making it only apply when the side lamps were on. 20. Lamp under bonnet to permit of inspection of engine. It had been previously agreed that we should have this and use the Lucas lamps. HY{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} said that we were making a special design, which seemed unnecessary, but later telephoned and told Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} that Sales had complained about the Lucas Festoon one; in any case the special one will have to compete in price with the standard Lucas one but we must have a simple light under the bonnet. 21. Vacuum operated change speed arrangement as on the Studebaker. The view held was that it would be much simpler and better to make this apply to our latest position of change speed lever but shorten the lever very considerably, which is now only its present length for the sake of leverage. It was agreed that this should be fitted up experimentally and that we should try to use the existing parts which Studebaker use. 22. Automatic Hill Holder. It was agreed that this was good and that we should try to emulate it. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||