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).
Letter to A.H.R. Fedden of The Bristol Aeroplane Co. Ltd. regarding the fitting of a high compression head to a car chassis.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 89\2\ scan0146 | |
| Date | 3rd January 1935 | |
| x261b Exptl. Dept. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}4/KW. 3rd January, 1935. A.H.R. Fedden, Esq., The Bristol Aeroplane Co.Ltd., Filton House, Bristol. Dear Fedden, Thank you for your letter of December 31st. We should prefer to have your chassis at Derby so that we can deal with the work you want putting right. (1) Referring to the high compression head, we had one running in London for about 12 months, but at the present moment it is not available. I believe Mr. Fairey has one fitted to his car, and possibly you might be able to try this. (2) I told you that the cost of the head would be £30. Since then I have been in communication with Mr. Cowen, and he has agreed that we can fit one of our experimental heads to your car for about half this figure. The head will of course have been run previously but will be in good condition. (3) I took one of these heads on my holiday this Summer. Conditions were at their worst for detonation, as of course the weather was extremely hot. I spent 10 days in Austria and Hungary. I found that everywhere I went if I used the best anti-knock grade of fuel available the car was quite driveable, though in some cases I had to use the hand-control retarded two or three notches. In Hungary I ran on the alcohol blends, which did not seem to cause any detrimental effects and must have had quite a reasonable octane number. Once, in Belgium I did not pick my pump with discrimination and got some | ||