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).
Translated article by Charles Faroux lamenting the absence of bare chassis at the London Motor Exhibition.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 146\1\ scan0084 | |
| Date | 22th October 1937 | |
| ET.5.II.37. REGRETTABLE ABSENCE FROM THE LONDON MOTOR EXHIBITION OF BARE CHASSIS --------------------- by Charles FAROUX "L'AUTO", 22.10.37. Translated by E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Taylor London 20th Oct. - That there are no bare chassis on the stands at the London Motor Exhibition is the unfortunate outcome of a tendency on the part of the manufacturers, that originated in the U.S.A. and has also spread to France, to believe that the average motorist cares nothing about "the works" and chooses his car solely for the comfort of its accommodation or for the finish of its coach work. As though a sportsman would buy a gun because it had a nicely made case, or the value of a pearl necklace could be gauged from its pretty casket!... It does not need an engineer to see that improved design necessarily implies more efficient utilisation of raw materials - and ipso facto better service - and often at the same time easier access to the working parts, a point to which sufficient attention is not being paid in these days. A well-designed chassis gives the impression of a sound job, carefully planned and well executed, and that in itself constitutes a guarantee. There is no point in showing American chassis, where every make has practically the same type of steering, clutch and back axle, and the only essential difference lies in the shape of the bonnet and bodywork. It is a pity the French and Italians have thought fit to do likewise. Nor do the English appear to have been any more happily inspired, for their motor car technique, which is by way of being complicated at | ||