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).
Rejection of a dipping headlamp scheme in favour of a heavier, less handy alternative from Barker's.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\R\October1927-December1927\ Scan122 | |
| Date | 2nd December 1927 | |
| FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} C. to HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} ORIGINAL DIPPING HEADLIGHTS. X4555 In reply to your BJ24/E11227., I am sorry to hear that we cannot make use of the dipping head lamp scheme which has been working on my car - 7-EX. - with great satisfaction to myself and others who have driven it, for two years. It has been turned down by the Sales Committee for some reason I have forgotten, in favour of Barker's heavy and ponderous arrangement, which is so unhandy that it does not get used, and encumbers the car with its extra weight. As regards the dipping reflector system I have heard of this, but was not aware that it was sufficiently satisfactory to be near adoption. I have never seen a scheme fitted to one of our cars, and in obtaining lamps for the Sports model we have not come across any scheme which can be considered satisfactory. You will understand I shall be delighted to hear of a better scheme which is handier and lighter than moving the lamps, providing it is effective and available, and we should very much like it to fit to the Sports mode, but it occurs to me that it is the kind of thing that may be in the experimental stage for two years; in the meantime another 1000 of our cars will be fitted with some inefficient device. I hope I am mistaken. I very much regret the time DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} has spent upon this subject, and will try to dismiss it from my mind. I understand the dipping reflectors are either right up or right down - i.e. cannot be adjusted for any between angles, which is so useful in fog, etc. HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} and others of experience in fast night driving I believe agree with the above. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||