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).
Secret internal memorandum discussing ongoing complaints about slipping clutches in the 20/25 HP model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 103\1\ scan0200 | |
| Date | 20th January 1936 | |
| -> S/W....Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Secret x512 LP{Mr Lappin} Smith RE SLIPPING CLUTCHES...20/25 h.p. Further to my C11/C15.1.36, if you have studied the latest Quarterly Complaints (Hd{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy}10/HR16.1.36) you will see that the importance of this complaint was by no means over-stated. In the last six months there have been 287 complaints, i.e. at the rate of 11 per week. You can imagine the harm that such a thing as this is likely to do to the Company's business! The note at the side says: "Even with all the latest modifications the 20/25 h.p. clutches are very unsatisfactory." We are shortly going to introduce the 25/30, i.e. an engine of greater horsepower, which will naturally impose still greater work on the clutch. We are, therefore, very concerned to know what is going to be done. We are not quite clear in our minds, and believe you are not, as to whether this chassis is going to be fitted with the standard clutch of today, or the Borg & Beck clutch. If it is to be fitted with the latter, are you satisfied that it will overcome clutch slipping complaints? I am not sure what clutch Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} has on his big bore 20/25, but Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} told me that when he was last at Derby it was suffering from clutch slip. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s car is fitted with a Borg & Beck and so far has given no-clutch slipping trouble, but then the old clutch did not on this car with the standard engine. C. | ||