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).
Front seat accommodation and body options for a customer's new Bentley chassis.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\1\ scan0327 | |
| Date | 6th November 1934 | |
| + 204 To Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}11/KW.6.11.34. Front Seat Accommodation. My father-in-law has just ordered a Bentley chassis. He has not yet decided which body he is going to have, though it will either be like 5-B-IV or 4-B-IV. He is, however, somewhat concerned with the room between the driving seat and the wheel, and the ease of ingress to the driving seat, as he gets in and out of the car with big boots on and also wears overcoats etc. His present car is a Chrysler and he has 6½" between the bottom rim of the wheel and the seat. On the ordinary Bentley he has only 4½". I know that something was done for Fairey in this respect, but I do not know what is the limit that can be obtained with the present adjustable steering column, and a reasonable form of seat. Could you please let me know the limit of what can be done in this respect ? The other point is to get a quick sliding seat mechanism so that there can be one position to which the seat returns every time. You will remember that this was fitted to Bernard Hopps' car, and means that one can slide the seat back, get out of the car, and then get in again and slide the seat up to the correct driving position. I wonder whether you can find out from Park Wards the difference in cost of supplying a body like 4-B-IV and a body like 5-B-IV? You might let them know that it is a personal job as far as I am concerned so that they will keep the cost down to a reasonable figure. Also, would it take much longer to deliver a body like 5-B-IV, because the chassis will be delivered about the third week in December and he does not want to wait too long for the car. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||