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).
Trade-offs between increased weight, body space, and performance in Bentley models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 97\1\ scan0005 | |
| Date | 23th November 1936 | |
| -2- still have in the Experimental Department, the trials cars of to-day handle like lorries. W.O. Bentley entirely agreed with this view though the weight has gone up still more since he left the Company. We agree that the weight increase was necessary to produce bodies that would give satisfaction in customers' hands. We have always held the view that the Bentley fitted so well into the Rolls-Royce range of models, because it was the only chassis designed primarily from the driver's seat. We recollect that on the first run at Grantham the amount of room for the rear seat passengers was criticised, but this has never prevented as many Bentleys being produced as the Works could manufacture. We welcome the body with improved accessibility to the driving seats, because we believe that 90% of Bentley owners spend all their time in these seats; for the same reason we want the hand brake and change speed levers moved to the P.III position, also independent suspension. We are not so enthusiastic about the 3" more body room for the rear seat passengers, because it is going to be obtained at the driver's expense. We have already demonstrated the fallacy of supposing that the handling of a car remains unaltered, no matter what the weight is, provided that the wheelbase is unchanged. Performance is, of course, directly proportionate to weight. On Bentley III we do not see how the desirable frame stiffness can be obtained for an increase in chassis weight of less than 50 lbs, nor how a synchro-mesh second can be got for nothing. The wide entrance saloon body already weighs nearly 100 lbs more than the present trials car (though some of this is due to the luggage tray) and 3" more body, which has to have frame to carry it, will add, we compute, about 50 lbs. Even with 1936 cars we are having to consider putting the tyre weight up 5 lbs a wheel to get reasonable life, or 25 lbs in all. This will be a necessity with B.III to its present specification. Rear bumpers are becoming imperative. It is, therefore, apparent that the first Bentley III trials cars will weigh between 35½ and 36 cwts. | ||