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).
Performance and design comparison between a streamlined Paulin Bentley and a standard model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 161\1\ scan0117 | |
| Date | 15th July 1936 | |
| -2- very nearly as the cube of velocity, it is apparent that as it takes 126 clutch horse-power to produce a speed of 90 m.p.h. on the standard car, 186 brake clutch horse-power would be required to increase the speed of the standard car to that attained by the Paulin Bentley; in other words, the results achieved by decreased wind resistance are, approx., equivalent to increasing the engine horse-power by 60. We do not expect to be able to increase the output of the 4¼-litre Bentley engine by this amount during the next five years, at any rate if we are to retain our existing standard of durability. In order to demonstrate that the high maximum speed on this car was not obtained at the expense of acceleration, we carried out a test doing a lap against a Demonstration car from a standing start. At the completion of 1½ miles, the streamline car was 50 car lengths ahead, The gain in performance, therefore, is appreciable under all conditions. The question then arises as to what has been sacrificed to obtain this result. In general road worthiness, the Paulin Bentley is preferable to the standard car because it has a better sense of direction at high speeds, and is less affected by side winds. It has lost nothing in cornering ability. Since the streamline car without bumpers is as long as an ordinary Bentley with bumpers, very little has been sacrificed with regard to the facility with which the car can be parked. The width of the seats is as great as on a standard car. The head room is slightly down, particularly in the rear seats. The visibility from a driving point of view is satisfactory. It is very easy to get in and out of the car, but it suffers from the usual disadvantage with regard to back seat passengers owing to having two doors only. The seats are nearer the floor than standard. By an ingenious arrangement of the spare wheel carrier the luggage has been made easily accessible, though the amount that can be carried is limited. It is impossible to be dogmatic on appearance as it is a matter of taste. However, in our opinion, it is easily the most attractive full size aero-dynamic car that we have seen. The front of the car, in particular, gives one the impression of being functionally correct, and we think it should be seen by Sales. It has the merit of being unlike any cars sold in England to-day, and entirely different from the average American car. | ||