Minutes discussing the manufacturing of a 2.8-litre 4-cylinder engine and the projected costs for a new small car project.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 161a\1\ scan0052 | |
| Date | 17th October 1939 | |
| -2- 4-CYLINDER ENGINES - Cont'd. {John DeLooze - Company Secretary} In view of these facts it was agreed that the 2.8 litre 4-cyl. engine should forthwith be manufactured in the Exp. Dept. and tested in a rationalised chassis into which it will fit. It was agreed that Hunt, the detail draughtsman who had half completed the drawings of this engine at the out-break of hostilities, should be released from the Aero Dept. to complete the crankcase and cyl. head. SMALL CAR PROJECT COST. The discussion on this car commenced with the question of cost. The provisional selling price of the car was suggested at £400 catalogue. It is understood that the Jaguar body costs less than £70, and therefore a figure of £100 selling price for the Myth body would not be unreasonable. This leaves £300 as the selling price of the chassis. Hs. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} said that if the chassis was to be produced at this price the design would have to be revolutionised. Rm. {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} said that three years of intensive effort to discover how to design a "cheap" chassis had proved exceedingly disappointing. As an example, actual figures from the Cost Office showed that if we left off the three refinements peculiar to Rolls-Royce products, i.e. the servo, side change mechanism and governor control, the total sum saved would be less than 2% of the selling price of the chassis. Hs. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} then said that the finish we asked for was very costly. Again this was queried because where we are using standard proprietary parts such as clutches, carburetters and propellor shafts the price we have to pay for a finish that suits us as opposed to the common finish, increases the cost of these parts to us by less than 7%. Also we can buy the frame we have designed from John Thompson's with an excellent finish for no more than Daimler's and Jaguar's pay for their design with an inferior finish. These remarks do not mean that the Design Department cannot simplify and reduce cost, on the contrary they can see the possibility of a reduction of about 15% on the Myth compared with B.V. They do claim, however, that this reduction is insignificant compared with that which can be obtained from improved manufacturing methods. To substantiate these claims, the following facts are put forward which were not available in detail during the discussion:- | ||
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).