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).
Collaboration with coachbuilders over issues with car bodies, noises, and shared responsibility.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 5\2\ 02-page351 | |
| Date | 14th October 1930 | |
| X5830 To R.{Sir Henry Royce} From Sr. c. to LHS.{Lord Herbert Scott} WGr. C. BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}, Da{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}, PN.{Mr Northey} re Bodies. Sgl2/E14.10.30. X.4685. X.7830. X.5830. Referring to R5/M.10.30 I have read this with great interest and also given the matter considerable thought. I fully appreciate the anxiety you express in regard to bodies. It always has been a difficult question. I feel that there has not really been sufficient team work in the full consideration of this very difficult problem. As it is really the complete car that is the all-important question, it is quite evident that the coachbuilders with whom we chiefly deal are at least as important a part of our organisation as any other department and that our interests are entirely one. There is no doubt that from time to time complete cars are put up to us for criticism use which are found to be entirely unsuitable for our purpose or for sale because of certain noises, vibrations, booms, etc. which have apparently developed since the body was fitted and which we, as the chassis builders, are inclined to feel would not exist if the chassis were left in its normal state having no body fixed to it, a condition obviously of little use to any one - whilst at the same time the maker of the body will probably accuse our chassis of having certain periods of noise about it which are excessive and different from other chassis with which they have had experience, and which they allege are greatly contributing to the troubles complained of. I feel that it is of the greatest importance that we should establish between the coachbuilders and ourselves an understanding as to how our relative responsibility in this matter stands, as otherwise time is continually lost but irrelevant argument or mistaken views, and what is perhaps even more important is that we appear to fail to gain adequately from the experience of past failures in the construction of fresh bodies and complete cars, i.e. mistakes of the past are frequently repeated. I propose at an early date after the Show to hold a conference with the coachbuilders and the R.R. officials concerned so that this matter may be fully ventilated. Taking our own case I have often noticed a tendency for our own people to look upon our part of the work in building the chassis too much as if our Respons- | ||