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).
On wind resistance, the benefits of streamlining, and competitive market positioning against other car models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 161\1\ scan0087 | |
| Date | 2nd February 1938 | |
| 1380. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Hm.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. W/P - Sr. c. Da{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Hm{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs}5/R.2.2.38. WIND RESISTANCE. It is, unfortunately, the usual practice to couple the effect of reducing the windage of a car with the increase in maximum speed resulting from such streamlining. As speeds in excess of 110 m.p.h. are of interest to exceedingly few people in England, reduced windage is apt to be dismissed as being of little value to the man in the street. It may be asked, therefore, as to why, when we have so many other urgent problems to deal with, we continue to press for full scale experiments on aero dynamic coach-work. As we see it, we believe that in the future we are going to make a handsome profit on Bentley III as it will be sold at the same chassis price as Bentley II, and yet produced for a much lower figure, owing to simpler design and lowering of material and manufacturing costs. The problem we visualise is how to maintain the existing sales of B.III chassis in the face of:- (a) Competition from B.50. (b) Competition from cars such as the 3 1/2-litre Jaguar a 1/3rd the cost. As B.50 chassis will be almost identical with that of B.III, but the complete car cost 30% less. For considerable more accommodation, presumably we expect B.III sales to depend on the increased performance available from the smaller car. With this object in view, the accommodation and weight of the standard body to be fitted to B.III has to be severely limited, and at the same time the durability of the power plant has to be reduced in order to get the higher specific output required to give the complete car an attractive acceleration and top speed. | ||