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).
Advantages and disadvantages of a revised Phantom II luggage grid design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 13\6\ 06-page44 | |
| Date | 23th January 1931 | |
| Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} 87400 To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} re P.II. Revised Type Luggage Grid. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}9/E23.1.31 I am in receipt of Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}5/MJ.19.1.31 and, as mentioned in DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}2/M22.1.31, it is quite correct that, when I came back from America, I was very enthusiastic about their type of grid. I brought over photographs and expressed, as EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} says, very similar views to yours. I asked the C.S.C. to investigate its advantages and disadvantages and, whilst it was agreed that the folding arm type of grid was much neater in appearance than our own and very suitable for use with a fitted trunk, it was unfortunately likely to be of no use when it is desired to carry ordinary suitcases or even a cabin trunk. You mention that it is years since you saw a RR car carrying luggage except in a proper fitted trunk, but our experience does not support this view. In fact, on the contrary, we find from experience that the great majority of our customers will not go in for a fitted trunk. For one thing they are extremely costly, but another disadvantage is that they cannot be made to hold anything like the same amount as is possible by the ordinary means of luggage. There is no doubt that the folding arm type has great advantages from the point of view of appearance when out of use as distinct from the grids which we supply, but when we get the new type grid, i.e. the new one designed for use when there is no spare wheel at the back, there should be considerable improvement as compared with the grid which we at present supply, and which I quite agree suffers from the criticism of being a mass of ironmongery. You may be interested to know that we have even had complaints of our present grid being unsatisfactory for the support of small luggage, and in one case the customer protested to such an extent that additional tubes or bars had to be introduced so as to prevent the possibility of small luggage falling through on to the road. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} [STAMP: RECEIVED 24 JAN 1931] | ||