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).
Critique of the Goshawk saloon body and proposals for a new standard design for the 20.HP chassis.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\J\April1923\ Scan5 | |
| Date | 26th April 1923 | |
| TO Ed.{J. L. Edwards} FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} ORIGINAL R3/M26.4.23. c. to Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} IHS C. c. to Dt. HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to DV. EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} GOSHAWK SALOON BODY. X3750 This body is one of the ideal types for owner driver (lady or man) who desires a closed body. Such a person is one of the enthusiasts who will pay a good price such as we demand. The 20.HP. is especially suitable for such a body to carry 4. So far it seems to be reported that we cannot get such a body which is not either a boomer, heavy, noisy, or top heavy. The specimen brought to the south of France (Maythorn) on No.7 Goshawk is top heavy - heavy and bulky, has great windage, and 5 cwt. increase. Every time I drove it I got into a bad temper. It had crushed every pleasure out of our chassis and I marvelled that Mr. Hives had the heart to drive it such a long journey. It takes away every desire to own such an apparatus - perhaps clumsy is the best description of it. (Some features are wrong and ugly.) If we cannot do something entirely different to this let us make no more Goshawks with this type of body. Three things are most glaringly unsuitable:- (1) Heavy roof. (2) Enormous & heavy doors (dangerous.) (3) Window winders (weight & room required.) I am informed that this is not a standard body, (heaven be praised) but all similar bodies are only a small degree better. The chassis struggled manfully to carry such a body, the engine doing extremely well on hills, but the top-heaviness could not be forgotten for a minute on these rough narrow roads. I believe the only thing we can do to the chassis is to fit shock dampers with more friction (at least twice) on the rear axle. We must realise that the 20.HP. is not the 40/50 and it was our idea to make it approach the lightness of the Ford but RR. quality, i.e. sweetness of running, good wearing qualities, and reliability. Since the ordinary coachbuilders have failed to produce a standard of this type for this chassis, and I am desirous that we can offer this type, I am proposing to help Mr. Evernden outline such a body, and will start on this soon after my return to England, but we shall probably ask some of the Aeroplane people to make it and we must realise that we shall have some limitations (in doors, windows, or winders). At present my ideas are that we should have one convenient door for the driver and one for the rear and a 3 panel design, but conditions will decide; the rear windows would be small and not to open because of the wheel races (this trouble cannot be avoided without making a high roof and seats which would spoil the beauty of the whole thing). There is also the extremely high price charged to us by the firstclass coachbuilders. I am suspicious that this may be intentional, so we cannot compete and supply a complete car. I hear they make us demand £500 for open body and completion for a Goshawk and force Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Weston elsewhere, i.e. perhaps to secondrate builders or themselves. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||