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).
Competitor car performance claims and the strategy for responding with Bentley tests.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 82\4\ scan0128 | |
| Date | 20th May 1935 | |
| To Bly.{B. W. Bleaney - Bentley Sales} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/KW.20.5.35. Attached is a table of car performances, which we believe is being circulated by the Railton Terraplane people. You will of course have seen similar types of advertisements circulated by Lagondas. Such propaganda may leave you entirely unaffected: on the other hand you may not like it. Our own feeling is that, since the Motor tests are being used in this way, if a Bentley car is submitted for such tests it should put up the best show possible. It has been demonstrated on Lp{Mr Lappin}'s car that with a high compression head a speed of 95 m.p.h. can be obtained over the half mile. From the point of view of acceleration, the lightest possible body should be fitted to the car; for top speed a closed car is not inferior to an open car to any appreciable extent. The braking test is unaffected by car weight. If you feel that this is of any importance you might have a talk round it with Bn.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} and he can then discuss it with us next time he comes to Derby. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||