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).
Extract from a letter concerning fuel regulations and car performance at the French Grand Prix.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90a\6\ Scan050 | |
| Date | 6th August 1936 | |
| 42 EXTRACT. LETTER DATED 6TH.AUG., 1936. With reference to the fuel used in the recent French Grand Prix, I understand that the regulations called for an ordinary fuel obtained from the pump, containing about 12% alcohol, and having an octane number of around 80. However, my informant tells me that the Talbots and other French cars, such as the Bugatti, probably found this fuel was no good for their engines, and the racing club who supplied the fuel apparently increased the alcohol content, because some of the British competitors had the fuel analysed afterwards and found it to contain between 25% to 30% of alcohol. For your private information, Riley's said that if they had known the quality of the final fuel which was given them they would have increased their compression ratio by about two units. It seems possible, therefore, that Talbot's, and other French cars, will experience difficulty, or will have to de-rate their engines considerably when they come to Ulster, and when they have to use 80 octane fuel. I also understand that the Talbots are exceedingly fast and very unreliable. | ||