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).
15,000-mile Bentley test, including a visit to France and observations on the standardised saloon coachwork.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\1\ scan0379 | |
| Date | 7th June 1935 | |
| To Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} & E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} +no4 c. to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} to EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}9/KW.7.6.35. 15,000 MILES TEST - BENTLEY. VISIT TO FRANCE 4.6.35. We went out to Chateauroux to try 5-B-IV at the completion of 12,000 miles. Unfortunately the car smashed up owing to a bearing failure shortly after our arrival in Paris, so that we were not able to try it on the road. We were, however, able to see the car completely stripped, and also to drive a trials car fitted with a standard Bentley Park Ward Saloon body, to and from Chateauroux. This was in many ways more interesting than driving an experimental car. The following is a brief summary of our impressions. (1) COACHWORK - STANDARDISED SALOON. This is the first time we have ever driven a Bentley car fitted with one of the latest Park Ward stiffened type Saloon bodies in France. It is also the first time we have driven a Saloon Bentley of any kind fitted with a ride control, in France. A few miles were sufficient to demonstrate to us that stiffening up the body has altered the characteristic of the chassis. The car was fitted with a bumper bar so that the wings were, relatively speaking, still. In spite of this a frame period occurred at between 60 and 70 m.p.h. which shook the steering column. This could not be removed by operating the shock absorber control. This was not present with the original Bentley. It is not sufficiently bad to get alarmed about, but it brought home to us the fact that the body can completely alter the characteristic of the chassis, and that we ought always to run our 15,000 miles tests on a standardised saloon type of body. The second feature which was apparent after this run was that even the present strengthened Bentley Saloon body will not stand up to the shock absorber loads imposed by the ride control on French roads. 5-B-IV body has completely cracked up, so much so that it is not practicable to run the car further. It may be argued that this was not exactly a standard body, but it is hardly sufficiently different from standard to explain its condition. | ||