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).
Customer complaints about engine noise and throttle issues, proposing testing a car without a governor.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 1\3\ B001_X 93-page89 | |
| Date | 22th October 1926 | |
| X93 To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from BJ. Copy to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Copy to DY.{F R Danby} Copy to PN.{Mr Northey} Copy to CWB BJ10/E22/10/26 I was discussing with R.{Sir Henry Royce} yesterday the number of complaints we are receiving in regard to explosions in the exhaust and the unreliable hand throttle. Both these points tend to make our cars noisy and unsatisfactory to the ordinary motorist, who is not technical and does not understand the reason for the Phantom being noisier than the Ghost. Very few indeed of our customers are technical. They buy a RR on account of its silence. They dislike a car which, when standing outside a house, has a noisy engine and, when running, makes irritating noises beneath the floor. They say this is not what they expect of a Rolls-Royce and I agree with them. It is giving the Rolls-Royce a bad name amongst motorists in general, and anything we can do to stop it quickly is very desirable. R.{Sir Henry Royce} suggested we might like to do away with the governor. Can you please send us a car to try without a governor, and fit it up in such a way as we could supply cars if they were not fitted with a governor. We want to ascertain whether a car without a governor can have the hand throttle set so that it can be left in such a position that, when the foot is removed from the accelerator pedal, the engine will always drop back to a low silent speed and we want to find out what would be the disadvantage of driving such a car and whether one compensates for the other. Any way in which you can assist us to try such a car at an early date will be helpful. BJ | ||