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).
Widening of the dash and bonnet for a Bentley model, comparing dimensions to a Jaguar.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 98\2\ scan0044 | |
| Date | 3rd November 1937 | |
| SECRET. COPY. S/W.... BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to C. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}9/C.3.11.37. Re BENTLEY 111. You will remember that at the Show I spoke to you about the Jaguar and asked you to go and see it. One of the things we were going to ask you to do was to widen the dash a few inches with a view to giving us greater width inside. The Jaguar width of bonnet at back is 47". The Bentley 38½" Difference 8½". The interior width of the Jaguar at what we call elbow level is 48". The Bentley 45¼" ...... Difference 2¾". We have just heard that EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} has been to Park Wards and instructed them that the width of back of bonnet on the first experimental B-3 is to be 4" wider, i.e. 42½". This is a little more than we were going to ask for and it will quite probably be all right, but we are sorry to learn that as schemed by EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} we are only going to have ¾" more width on the elbow line, which we consider insufficient. I am talking at present about the front seats. If we are increasing the bonnet width by 4", is there any reason why we should not increase the elbow room at this point by at least 2¾", i.e. the same as the Jaguar ? We do not want to hold up No.1 car, and have no objection to it being to the dimensions you have settled with Park Ward, but we would like to see quickly a plan view showing what the bulge in the scuttle would be if we do what I have asked for above, i.e. 4" wider dash and 2¾" wider elbow line; and we would like to have with this a few alternatives. It may be necessary to widen the dash still further, but I do not think myself that we want to go quite as wide as the Jaguar, which was 47". It is, of course, understood that any increases in width at the elbow line in front are carried | ||