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).
The running and general behaviour of a Phantom III car during a 13,000-mile run from London to Nairobi.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 114\4\ scan0150 | |
| Date | 5th May 1937 | |
| To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/HFH.{Hoppy F. Hamilton} c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. GWH{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux} c. Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} c. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/HFH.{Hoppy F. Hamilton}8/AP.5.5.37 82/1 34.EX. PHANTOM III. - NAIROBI CAR. We give below report on the running and general behaviour of the above car during its outward and return runs from London to Nairobi in East Africa. The total distance covered was 13,000 miles at an average speed of 32 m.p.h., under conditions which proved to be considerably harder and more hazardous than anything encountered during a 10,000 miles test in France. It should be pointed out, however, that although the suspension, steering, transmission and chassis in general suffered tremendous strain, the engine unit itself had a comparatively easy time, due to the low speed at which it continually ran, and apart from an occasional burst of power required for manoeuvring bad patched of sand full throttle was very rarely required. ENGINE Starting up from cold was always good and instantaneous, and there were no traces of 'piston knock' at any time. The engine ran well and was entirely free from major troubles of any sort. So as to avoid any possible failure on the return run, a new set of Lodge RL.14 plugs were fitted at Nairobi, although the old set appeared to be in very good condition. Due to sand and dust, the torque reaction dampers became slack and lost their poundage at an early stage, consequently, the transverse engine movement became excessive and while ticking over or when accelerating from low speeds the reaction period became distinctly noticeable in the front seats. The front engine rubber mountings were too soft for African conditions, as on bad one-sided bumps, it was found that the engine would be thrown over to one side, and ultimately caused the ignition control tube, which is mounted between the engine and frame, to become bent and so put the hand control out of action. The quality of petrol obtainable in the Sahara and Central Africa is poor and caused the engine to detonate to a considerable extent, and resulted in loss of power and acceleration at full throttle but did not appreciably affect the car's performance in sand. | ||