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).
Introductory memo about a series of reports on car performance to help officials handle customer complaints.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 178\1\ img001 | |
| Date | 1st May 1926 | |
| FUNDAMENTALS OF CAR PERFORMANCE. OBJECT OF MEMOS. The object of these notes is to assist Depots and Officials who are away from the Works to deal with criticisms or complaints. The information contained in the following notes has, in practically every case, been obtained from or confirmed by, experimental tests. It will be realised that in most cases the results are not taken from one car of one particular make, nor even from a number of cars or models of the same make, but from different cars of different makes which have at various times been available. We have frequently been referred to some particular feature of some chassis which is quoted as functioning better than the corresponding detail on the Rolls-Royce car. We have endeavoured to demonstrate that every car is of necessity a compromise. Excellence in any one item of performance can practically always be obtained if the customer is willing to sacrifice other desirable attributes. An endeavour has been made to provide information for a reasonable reply to such criticisms. There are a number of troubles which are of somewhat frequent occurrence on cars in customers hands; sometimes, unavoidably, the Service Departments have not the most recent experimental information as to the causes and cures of these troubles. We have endeavoured to tabulate the results of tests we have made. It should be observed that where these depart from standard practice, the information is given to promote a more complete understanding of the problem, not to justify unauthorised alterations to customers cars. We realise that the present reports are incomplete. We hope to issue a short summary of the tests carried out on other subjects as opportunity occurs. The necessity for brevity has unavoidably curtailed the amount of technical explanation which has been given on any one point; we shall be willing to expand any subject which is considered of sufficient importance to merit more detailed attention. ----------------- Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/W.A.Robotham. | ||