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).
Test drive report and performance feedback on the Large Bore 20/25 model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 107\1\ scan0333 | |
| Date | 14th October 1935 | |
| SECRET. To Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} from Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}; re Large Bore 20/25. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}3/E14.10.35 Copy to E.Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} C & Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} I was very much interested to try your car over the week-end and I ran it a distance of nearly 200 miles. I was very favourably impressed with the improvement in the performance of the car which certainly makes it much more attractive to drive and I was very glad to see that this gain had not been effected at the expense of smoothness, silence etc. I found the starting from cold to be excellent but I had difficulty on one or two occasions when the engine was warm. Possibly I had not got quite the right throttle opening. The acceleration is good and a noticeable absence of any flat spots. The petrol consumption appears to have worked out roughly at 16/17 to the gallon, which is very good when compared with the consumption of the 20/25 of to-day, which of course works out less than this and which indicates that it is really our new carburetter which is at fault. I am not sure whether this car has the Rolls-Marles type steering but it seemed to be very good and free from joggles but not very steady at high speeds, this possibly due to the springing and soft tyres. I should be interested to know whether the springs are the same as when I last tried the car and found them very harsh because they now seem to be much softer, but as Kennett told me the tyre pressures were as low as 25 lbs., I am unable to say whether it was the springs or the tyres that gave this impression of softness. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||