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).
The disappointing performance and technical issues of a purchased D.F.P. car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 21\5\ Scan027 | |
| Date | 17th May 1922 | |
| To C. from R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. to BJ. c. to HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} X.4262. R3/M17.5.22. RE. D.F.P. CAR. X.4262. We have today returned to Derby the D.F.P. which was purchased to my instructions. There are a few points about this chassis which were interesting, but generally speaking it is a disappointment in both silence, and performance. The silence is spoilt by noisy exhaust, an engine with half-time gears which are noisy, a noisy gearbox, and a not very silent back axle. The performance seems to be spoilt by probably too high a gear but this was difficult to judge as the ignition and carburation are not to a standard which we should consider passable. The carburation is by Claudel-Hobson, which we consider hardly automatic enough for car work. It was spoilt at first by water in the bottom of the jet which we removed. This led one to believe that the carburation was quite wrong. There is also no provision against poor fuel which probably makes it worse (as was at the time when Mr.Platford so condemned it.) It is therefore hopeless unless considerable changes are made. As regards the ignition, this is not the Ducellier system as we imagined, but the Connecticut battery ignition which appears to have no automatic advance, and as there is no hand control fitted up on the car to this ignition, the result is extremely poor. I should be glad if you will sell this car as contd:- | ||