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).
Race report discussing the performance and mechanical issues of various cars like Alfa-Romeo, Delahaye, and Lagonda.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 146\2\ scan0251 | |
Date | 23th June 1937 | |
Sr2/ET.23.6.37 - 3 - Talking of streamlining, Sommer's Alfa-Romeo, which was a 2.9 litre double super-charged job was supposed to be capable of doing 230 K.P.H. down the straight, but as it had a pukka body on it (two seater roadster type, with fairly respectable wings, etc.) the best they could get out of the car down the straight was 195 K.P.H. Wimille went down the straight on one occasion at 228 K.P.H. and they were continually going down at between 215 and 218 K.P.H. Sommer, after about 5 laps, broke a valve. That put him out of the Race. The Delahayes did well, although Dreyfus broke a rocker and, in my opinion, should have been out of the race, as I feel fairly confident that they had no such thing on board. However one was produced from somewhere, and after an hour's work, they were back on the track again. The Lagonda was a pitiful sight. If my memory does not fail me, it covered about 10 laps, or perhaps 12. During this time it stopped at its pit about 8 times. I went and investigated, asking them what their trouble was, for official statistics purposes, and they told me they did not quite understand what was happening, but although they had set their tappets at .015 clearance, when the car had completed one lap, that clearance had gone. The Peugeots put up a very impressive performance and an enclosed drive did very nicely, although my own Bentley would have done better. An amusing point is that, had ER. been in the race this year and had the car gone through without any mechanical trouble of any description, he would have been second and even probably first. Points of interest were that there was little or no brake trouble throughout the race, no wings collapsed or bodies broke up, no dynamo, headlights, petrol pumps or suchlike troubles, but nearly all the cars that came to grief, and they were numerous this year, had developed engine trouble. Some of the cars that finished walked round the course, as it were, for a couple of laps, just to complete their time, with a couple of bearings gone, and such like. Incidentally, I noticed that most of the larger cars were fitted with mechanically driven petrol pumps, sample of which I am sending you. I trust this will be of interest. P.S. I enclose 2 articles by Charles Faroux which are interesting, especially one on from which you will see that the Bugatti tank has gained some 30 Kms. through efficient streamlining. | ||