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).
From BJ to Hs. explaining the reasoning behind ordering a large number of standard bodies due to production timings and chassis availability.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 41\3\ Scan246 | |
| Date | 14th December 1922 | |
| To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from BJ. BJ12/H14.12.22 (Cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary}) -2- same way that chassis and parts are agreed to, there are considerable difficulties in this respect, as, whereas there is only one chassis, there are a very large number of different types of bodies, and they are made by a number of different coachbuilders. It had already been arranged that immediately the first of each type was delivered, it should be very carefully tested by both S. and W. officials with a view to suggesting possible improvements. We should have preferred to have ordered only one of each type of body and tested it very carefully and thoroughly before ordering any more, but unfortunately this was impossible with the 20 h.p., as we had no advance chassis which could be used for this purpose until the few chassis which were just in time to be fitted with bodies for use at Olympia. At the time we ordered a number of standard bodies, we were expecting to receive a very large number of chassis and we were being pressed by the Works to take delivery of these chassis very many weeks ago; our programme showed that unless we immediately ordered a number of standard bodies, we should be inundated with chassis for which no bodies would be ready. Of course, neither W. nor S. could have foreseen that so far from being inundated with chassis, we have only received about four up to the middle of December, and the position is now, and is likely to be for some time, that the coachbuilders will be blocked with complete bodies awaiting chassis. I of course do not suggest for that anyone is to blame for this, but it shows why S. found it necessary to order a number of bodies before they had an opportunity of making experiments with each type before placing their orders for quantities. One has to remember that it takes three months to build a body, and probably another month to test it, and then we should have to wait another three months after placing the order for quantities. We could not afford to make this delay of seven months. We are going into the matter of bodies for "Heron" and "Stork" chassis and will write you later. B.J. | ||