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).
Design and chassis requirements for a proposed Streamline Sports Saloon for Bentley, based on wind tunnel experiments.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90\1\ Scan001 | |
| Date | 17th August 1933 | |
| 8261. S/W. Copy to: Sor. Br.{T. E. Bellringer - Repair Manager} Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} LV8/BE.17.8.33. STREAMLINE SPORTS SALOON. BENTLEY. We send you, under separate cover, Tracing No. E.V.S.102. showing the proposed Streamline Sports Saloon for the Bentley, based on our wind tunnel experiments. This car is an exact replica of our wind tunnel model, the drag of which was 1.032, as compared with the drag of the model of the Standard Saloon of 1.4. The design of the body has been approved, and the body has been ordered by Messrs. Park Ward & Co., the car to be completed on the 6th October next. We would be glad to hear from Derby when they can let us have a chassis as we shall want to mount the body at Messrs. Park Ward's Works. This is because we have quite an amount of fareing to do in the front, there being no orthodox wing. The only special features on the chassis which we require are front stub axles with spring steel wing stays attached to them, a longer exhaust pipe extending beyond the back edge of the body, and an undersheet which extends from the radiator back to a point about a foot in front of the rear axle. We agree that we may find this impracticable, but we think we should like to try it, as our wind tunnel tests showed about a 7 per cent. reduction in the drag when the undersheet was fitted. We have utilised the standard steering column moved down to its lowest position, but if it were possible on this special chassis to move the wheel down a further inch, it would be a distinct advantage. EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} | ||