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).
Customer complaint regarding incorrect low-rated springs and a proposal to change the policy for fitting springs to owner-driven cars.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 17\1\ Scan130 | |
| Date | 23th May 1934 | |
| COPY. Y7410 S/W - BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Bs.{A J. Barnes - Assistant Manager} c. to Vr.{E. S. Voller - Orders} c. to Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders} Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}15/KW23.5.34. Re. Mr. Colin Kingham, 39-RY. This chassis was unfortunately supplied for Mr. Kingham's use with low rated springs. These springs are of course entirely unsuited for Mr. Kingham's work as he drives himself and goes abroad with the car. He has just returned from Le Touquet, hence his criticisms of the car on the heavily cambered French roads. You have presumably elected to supply low rated springs for this chassis from the erection particulars sent you on Sheet No.1504 dated 19th December 1933. We must now change the springs of Mr. Kingham's car for the standard rating, and presumably from the particulars contained on the E.P. form which we sent you, you have sufficient data to make up a set of springs of a suitable nature for this car. Will you therefore please have this set of four standard rating springs suitable for 39-RY forwarded to N. as soon as possible. This complaint makes us wonder whether the system at present in force is likely to mislead us in the future. It seems to me that we ought to adopt the same policy that we have adopted with the 20/25, namely, to only fit low rated springs on the chauffeur driven type of car, that is with "C" columns, and that any chassis either 40/50 or 20/25 which is going to have the owner-driven type of steering - such as in the present case "E" column - should in the first instance be equipped with standard springs. Would you please let us know what prompted you to equip Mr. Kingham's chassis with low rated springs, in view of the fact that it has an "E" column and a body of the Sedanca type ? Obviously we can make no hard and fast rule about this, but I personally think we are likely to be more accurate if we fit the standard springs to all owner-driven type of chassis than if we fit low rated springs to all long type chassis, some of which may still be owner driven. Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} | ||