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).
15,000-mile test of an 8.B.V. car, including performance on German Autobahns and comparisons to other Bentley models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 97\4\ scan0050 | |
| Date | 18th October 1938 | |
| HOOb SECRET. By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} c. W/P - Sr. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/R.18.10.38. 8.B.V. 15,000 Miles' Test. We covered 1,500 miles on this car between Tuesday night and Friday night. We spent Saturday and Sunday at the Salon and doing comparative tests between this car, Sleator's new 'M' Series Bentley and his old Trials car. We covered about 200 miles on various Autobahns. This is the first time I have been on an Autobahn, and this type of road exceeds anything I had imagined possible. I understand the whole of the road from Hamburg to Berchtesgaden is now open, which means that one can do 600 miles from the North to the South of Germany at an average speed of 100 miles per hour, if the car has a Brooklands lap speed of this figure. There is no doubt whatever that Bentley customers will use these Autobahns whenever they get the chance. If they can resist keeping their foot down it will be surprising. Very shortly there will be direct Autobahn connections between the German Frontier and Switzerland, Vienna, Budapest, Prague and Berlin. Fortunately, our present overdrive seems ideal for this type of road, and we are fairly certain that an 'M' Series Bentley could be driven all out without blowing up. After 40 miles at an average speed of about 90 M.P.H. the oil temperature had not reached 100°C, air 18°C. It is distressing, however, to have to fill up every hour and a half owing to the fact that so much horse-power is being dissipated pushing the car through the air. We have stressed this question of Autobahns because it is an entirely new development of motoring, and is on such a large scale that it cannot be ignored. The general behaviour of the car was quite satisfactory, and by the end of the run we were far less disappointed with it than originally when we compared it with 7.B.V. The comparison with the standard Bentley on French roads was particularly interesting. Briefly, the results were almost exactly similar to the tests we carried out comparing the P.II with the P.III in France. | ||