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).
Typed memorandum outlining the programme for a Paulin Bentley, including road rehearsals and press demonstrations in Europe.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 146\5\ scan0096 | |
| Date | 24th January 1939 | |
| 1245 also 1379 SECRET. W/P. Sr. from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}6/R.24.1.39. Confirming our telephone conversation this morning, the following is the programme suggested for the Paulin Bentley:- Unless we hear that the Italian road is available on or before Thursday morning next, the road rehearsal run will be started using the German Autobahn. If we use the Autobahn, it is suggested that you go into Germany from Saar Brucken and use the Frankfurt-Karlsruhe autobahn. You then go South to Munich and North to Nurnburg. Somewhere on this stretch we anticipate you will find all you require for your maximum speed demonstration and for your consumption demonstration. If possible, we should like you actually to rehearse the consumption. Our suggestion was that we should put 5 or 10 gallons in the tank, and go on running the car until it was exhausted. Should we get permission to use the Italian road, it would be necessary to run down there instead and do a similar rehearsal. The only piece of road where you could get 100 miles' continuous running is Turin to Brescia. Having done our stuff in Italy, you will probably like to suggest the most attractive way of getting back using an autobahn, and I imagine we could do this by going over the Brenner to Munich. If we get permission to use the Italian road, we anticipate that we shall have done our 100 miles in the hour on the road. If not, it is suggested that on getting back to Paris we do 100 miles for an hour at Montlhéry. In any case, we want a rehearsal to show that we can cover 100 miles in one hour, and should, therefore, like you to try and do this yourself (or get somebody else to do it if it bores you too much) before you leave Paris. With regard to the actual Press Run, it is suggested that I should come over to Paris Monday night, by which time it is hoped you will have returned from the practice run, and go over the figures you have obtained, etc. The Press men are due to arrive in Paris on Wednesday morning, unless we make other arrangements, and we then proceed with the Demonstration run. We do not want to rush things too much, but, presumably, four days will be ample for our purpose. I propose to try the Chateauroux car on Tuesday. I want them to weld up the frame between Tuesday and the day I return. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||