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).
Letter discussing gear levers on the 20 HP model, loss of sales due to left-hand control, and potential improvements for colonial markets.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 75\1\ scan0258 | |
| Date | 23th November 1922 | |
| X.4247. COPIES TO : CJ. FN. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} 23rd. Nov.1922. BJ15/H23.11.22. Dict.22nd. My dear R.{Sir Henry Royce}, GOSHAWK X.4327. X.4247. I am sorry to have troubled you with our recent suggestions concerning gear levers on the 20 HP., and would not have done so had we not been astonished recently at the number of orders we are losing owing to a number of customers having a rooted objection to left-hand control. It has quite surprised me to hear on all sides of the orders we are losing. For instance last week, we only obtained two orders for 20 HP. although we were expecting from twelve to twenty weekly. We shall be very interested to see and try the arrgt. made for magneto drive and the method of transferring from battery to magneto, as we have always hoped to do a large oversea business in 20s. Unfortunately Colonial conditions, with their enormous distances between towns and the careless ignorance of the Colonial and his native driver, are far worse than any European conditions. Perhaps we may have an opportunity of talking over a few points one day when you are in London. I know how enormously pressed you must be now with the very important and urgent designing you have in hand, and I hope you will think no more of the above suggestions for the present. I immensely dislike troubling you on any such points, and would not have done so had they not seemed to be of vital interest to help the sale of 20 s. B.J. | ||