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).
Letter from American Bosch Magneto Company regarding the sale price and performance tests of their magnetos in comparison to German Bosch and Watford magnetos.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 49\5\ Scan068 | |
| Date | 5th January 1921 | |
| W.H. 295A (100 T) (S.H. 728. 10-12-20) G. {Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} 2947 C O P Y. AMERICAN BOSCH MAGNETO COMPANY, Springfield, Massachusetts, Jan. 5th. 1921. Mr. L.J. Belnap, President. Rolls-Royce of America, Inc., Springfield, Mass. I want to confirm herewith my talk which I had today with the engineers of your English Company, and I would appreciate your seeing to it that this information gets on to Derby through the proper channels. We will agree to sell to the Rolls-Royce Company of Derby, England, ZR6 Magnetos, F.O.B. Springfield, at $35.00 each. The duty on Magnetos into England is 33- 1/3%, or $11.67, making the total cost of the magneto, laid down in England, exclusive of freight, $46.67. On the basis of $3.50 to the pound, the cost of this magneto, exclusive of freight, would be £13.6'. The English engineers advised me that the Watford Magneto they are now using costs them £24, and the German Bosch Magneto costs them £16. I further told the engineers that if they wanted to buy them at a flat price F.O.B. Derby, we would be glad to quote them £16 per instrument, laid down in Derby. I think they also feel entirely assured that we, having taken all that the Robert Bosch Company had ever done in an engineering way up to three years ago, and having added to that the results of the most painstaking research work, such as we have carried on ever since we purchased the property, that we have been able to develop an instrument which, while the parts are interchangeable possesses a superiority over the German made product. The results of the tests which were carried on at the plant today which your engineers witnessed were as follows:- Amer: Bosch. German Bosch. Low speed limit - full advance spark 60 R.P.M. 110 R.P.M. Low speed limit - full retard spark 110 P.M.R. 150 R.P.M. Timing range 39° 34° High speed limit 4600-5000 4000 missing not missing. very badly Contd. | ||