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).
Vehicle performance including speed tests at Brooklands, axle ratios, starting from cold, and gear changes.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\R\2December1927-February1928\ Scan140 | |
| Date | 2nd February 1928 guessed | |
| contd :- -4- on any car with reasonable safety to ourselves and the public. Though maximum speed can be used for appreciable periods on the Continent, it can seldom be reached in England. The reason for this is that on Brooklands we found that from a standing start we were doing 76 m.p.h. at the half mile and only 85 m.p.h. at the mile, or half a mile was required to get the last 9 m.p.h., in other words allowing room to pull up, maximum speed cannot be approached on anything less than a mile and a half unobstructed straight stretch, rather a rarity in England. This is one of the reasons why we have preferred a 16 to a 17 tooth axle. If there is any question about the relative speeds of the two cars, a side by side test will soon demonstrate actual fact independent of the speedometer. We do not know of any other way to convince customers who have what they think are fast cars. (7) Starting from cold and firing in the silencer. Both these items are somewhat improved by the turbulent head. (8) Gear change. The increased clutch stop provides a more rapid gear change for the enthusiast without being sufficiently violent to make changing difficult when the oil in the gearbox is not warm. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||