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).
Confidential memo discussing the development of light saloon bodies for India, comparing 'Weyman' and 'Barkerlite' constructions, and mentioning a chassis for the Prince of Wales.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 5\2\ 02-page062 | |
| Date | 26th November 1926 | |
| X5830 To-R.{Sir Henry Royce} from BJ. Copy to LHS.{Lord Herbert Scott} Copy to C. Copy to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to BA/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} CONFIDENTIAL. BJ26/ESO/11/26 Light Saloon for India. We (LHS{Lord Herbert Scott}, C, Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} and BJ) have talked much recently about light bodies. The position at present appears to be that Weymans are too ugly and cheap looking at present for us to want them to be seen on RR chassis. The Barkerlite is our only hope of an early solution, as we believe it will look more like an ordinary highly varnished carriage. There have been four distinct steps in the construction of the Barkerlite - The first looked like hoop sticks showing through a cape cart hood (on a small scale). The second introduces perforated aluminium panels, improving the appearance. The third is an improvement on this, and the fourth we think will allow of painted lower quarters. The difficulty is that Barkers have not - so far as we can ascertain - made any lengthy or severe tests of the last type, although they have run the former type for a long distance. As we are fully aware from our chassis experience, even small changes in design, construction or material often make serious differences in the practical results. So, whilst we are most anxious to help Barkers in their experiments, we are by no means confident that the design and construction may not prove an entire failure when put under the strains to which a body may reasonably be asked to withstand, such as 10000 miles at high speed on the Continent in the hands of an unsympathetic chauffeur. For this reason I am sorry Barkers are fitting one to a RR chassis for the Prince of Wales, as it may seriously annoy him if it turns out a failure and they may lose his confidence. We have been negotiating with Barkers recently to ascertain how we can best mutually combine with them to make a reasonable test of one of the latest Barkerlite bodies on a RR chassis, as it is of course very much in their interests that we should satisfy ourselves that they are sufficiently good for us to | ||