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).
Reuters press release detailing a high-speed touring feat by a 4-1/4 litre Bentley in Europe.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 160\3\ scan0216 | |
| Date | 4th February 1939 guessed | |
| 12.3 P.M REUTER DELIVERY NO.4. HIGH SPEED TOURING IN EUROPE BENTLEY AVERAGES 100 M.P.H. IN GERMANY PARIS, SATURDAY. A REMARKABLE FEAT BY A STANDARD BRITISH TOURING CAR HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED THIS WEEK IN FRANCE AND GERMANY. STARTING FROM PARIS, A 4-1/4 LITRE BENTLEY, OF ORDINARY STANDARD TYPE BUT WITH SLIGHTLY RAISED COMPRESSION RATIO, AND A STREAMLINED BODY, BUILT IN FRANCE, ACHIEVED ASTONISHING SPEEDS ON FRENCH ROADS AND GERMAN AUTOBAHNEN. METZ, A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 180 MILES FROM PARIS, WAS REACHED IN THREE HOURS - AN AVERAGE OF 60 M P H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} DURING THIS RUN A TOP SPEED OF 115 MILES AN HOUR WAS REACHED, AND THE 38 MILES STRETCH BETWEEN MONTMIRAL AND CHALONS WAS COVERED AT AN AVERAGE OF 76 M P H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} ON THE NEW AUTOBAHNEN IN GERMANY EVEN HIGHER SPEEDS WERE RECORDED. THE FIRST 25 MILES OUT OF MANNHEIM WERE COVERED AT AN AVERAGE OF 100 M P H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} AT ONE STAGE THE CAR WAS TRAVELLING AT MORE THAN 120 M.P.H. CAUSING CONSIDERABLE ASTONISHMENT AMONG GERMAN SPECTATORS, WHO ARE USED TO HIGH SPEEDS. A STRIKING FEATURE WAS THE LOW PETROL CONSUMPTION. IT WAS ABLE TO DO 21 MILES TO THE GALLON WHILE AVERAGING 80 MILES AN HOUR. AT 60 M P H MORE THAN 26 MILES WERE AVERAGED TO THE GALLON. THIS WAS DUE CHIEFLY TO THE SPECIAL STREAMLINING OF THE CAR. | ||