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).
Progress and plans for building various experimental cars and engines.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\2\ scan0013 | |
| Date | 18th October 1938 | |
| HPS.{Horace Percy Smith - Experimental Factory Mgr} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} c. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl.{Len H. Swindell} 1260. aho 666, 800, 400, Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}10/R.18.10.38. EXPERIMENTAL CAR WORK. Confirming our conversation, we are very anxious to build some B.50 and B.III motor-cars. The most urgent car after B.9, which is now completed, is the second B.50. We should then like to make B.10 as quickly as possible, as this will be the prototype and should be 90% to the final specification. We hope to get the Silver Wraith by Xmas as promised. We are immediately getting out a complete specification for B.11, and we hope it will be possible to put all the common parts for this car through in parallel with those for B.10. We ought to make a 3rd B.50 in parallel with B.11 car. If we are to have a chance of getting the parts cleared for production in March on B.III, we shall have to get B.10 completed by about the middle of January. We agree that the B.III frame at present in existence, which is being welded, will be quite satisfactory for this car, as the final frame will, undoubtedly, be stronger than this, and we know, of course, that for actual strength the frame which you will use for B.10 has already completed 50 hours on the bump. With regard to the cast iron engine, we confirm that we should like three engines completed with 4 cylinder heads, one of which will be a high compression head, and three have normal compression ratio. At the moment, from our running, we see no reason why there should be any fundamental change in the block, and, therefore, suggest that the remaining 4 blocks should go through the machines. This really applies to every part of the engine, except the cylinder head, unless you have any particular point you would like to raise with regard to manufacture, but since RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} has given us a price of £82 for the engine as it stands, we cannot feel that there is anything likely to be outstanding. | ||