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 report comparing a vehicle's performance against a Cadillac, including handling on a dirt road and passenger feedback.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 125\1\ scan0040 | |
| Date | 20th May 1930 guessed | |
| -2- Getting on to the dirt road, the jars from the potholes were excellently absorbed; but on two or three occasions both the passengers in the rear hit the roof on the humps. In handling the car on the camber, and also in taking corners, it was very difficult not to slue into the edge of the road, as indeed I did. I drove the car between 55 and 60 m.p.h. on the dirt road, but would not personally care to drive it any faster on that particular stretch, as it was very difficult to control. I would judge that the speedometer was probably five to eight miles an hour fast. The steering was self-centering, more so than any other American car I ever tried. The feel and operation of the engine, both idling and as fast as I drove it, was excellent. The clutch was excellent; so was the gear change. Steering and riding were my chief criticisms, the steering being "oozy". I will probably have another opportunity to get some more experience on one of these cars, and will let you know about it. Immediately on returning to the house, I took the same people out in the back of the Rolls-Royce, 201-KR. In driving over the same road at considerably higher speeds, on an accurate speedometer, at no time were the passengers lifted off the rear seat cushions, and I got up to around 65-67 m.p.h. on a dirt road with a bad camber and loose surface and felt perfectly comfortable (I am not sure that the passengers did). In all sorts of cornering and any other type of road work, and controllability, on the road, the Rolls-Royce ran circles around the Cadillac, and the acceleration was not so far inferior as to be remarked by the passengers. Offsetting all this, of course, must be put my lack of experience in handling the Cadillac. The only criticism that the Cadillac dealer made as regards the riding of the Rolls was that it "certainly was a great deal better than the Cadillac, and there was no tendency to pitch although the potholes were more noticeable than on the Cadillac," and he said he was not going to get up on his ear and tell the Cadillac people to fix it by changing the shock absorbers, and asked me if I did not think they could do so. I said that they certainly should know how to make it ride, as they had bought a Rolls-Royce and kept it for a year or two before they brought the 16 Cylinder out. This rather surprised the gentleman. cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} | ||