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).
Passenger's motion sickness during a 10,000-mile test, investigating factors like the car's hood, fumes, and springing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 53\4\ Scan053 | |
| Date | 17th December 1923 | |
| To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} NRC{N. R. Chandler}12/D17.12.23. Re 12-EM. 10,000 Miles Test. Ref. PN{Mr Northey}5/DN5.12.23. The passenger who was sea-sick after 100 miles in rear seat, with hood up, had already been in the front seat for over 100 miles during the morning of the same day, with a break of about 2 hours for lunch. Her "liability" to sickness may be summarized as follows :- Train sickness - bad as a child but now appears to be immune from trouble on long journeys, including several of 7 hours duration, but is inclined to slight headache. She is a bad sailor. Has frequently travelled 100-200 miles on light 4-seaters, chiefly in front seat, with no ill effects. Many all-day journeys in small 2-seater, in which engine fumes are pronounced, fail to produce any ill effects, even with hood up. Was decidedly ill, but not sick, after 2 1/2 hours in rear seat of a 1600 series Cabriolet, with windows closed most of the time, and the springs of this car were on the light side, slight rolling and swaying being apparent, but I would consider the springing very comfortable, and a strong contrast to 12-EM. in which the springs were much too strong and the Hartford's were set strong, thus practically eliminating swaying and rolling. Summing up, this passenger appears to be able to travel in any completely open car, but may be upset in a closed car or open car with hood up, and I think that booming even in a mild form, is a contributory factor especially in conjunction with fumes, and I suggest in this case that springing does not appear to be the prime factor. Another passenger who was sea-sick in the same car after a long run with the hood up, had on another occasion travelled 200 miles in this car with the hood down without any ill effects, and this passenger is a good sailor and has never suffered from train-sickness. It thus becomes apparent that the hood is an important factor. I have never known of anyone being upset in the front seat of a car, although oil fumes may be much more pronounced than in the back seat. Possibly, however, exhaust gases are more in evidence in the back seat when the hood is up. NRC.{N. R. Chandler} WDR | ||